Why millions of years ago was the mass extinction of animals?
Source:Mass extinction affected not only normal animals but also huge dinosaurs
According to the American scientists, today on our planet there are about a trillion animals. But millions of years ago on Earth lived even more diverse organisms, many of which we know nothing. They disappeared in the course of five different mass extinctions, but the most damning of these events is the so-called Permian extinction. It happened about 252 million years ago and killed 96% of marine animals and 78% of the inhabitants of the land. That was the cause of death of most of living creatures on our planet, scientists still do not know. Most likely, the animals died because of the combination of various events that were triggered by erupting volcanoes.
Mass extinction of animals
What was the cause of death of animals during the Permian extinction, at the time, trying to understand my colleague Nicholas Khizhnyak. In the material that scientists associate the beginning of extinction high volcanic activity at the time. Hot lava poured on our planet for over a million years, and this phenomenon was probably serious consequences. So, the researchers from the University of Manchester (England) in 2018 hypothesized that the extinction of animals occurred due to the emission into the air of volatile compounds of chlorine, bromine and iodine. They burned in the lava drains out and damaged the ozone layer of the planet. Subsequently, the UV rays seriously affect the health of living organisms.
that the mass extinction started because of volcanic eruptions, no doubt. But what are the consequences of eruptions killed animals?
Sounds plausible but it is recognized that the extinction of a huge number of animals alone volcanoes and poisonous volatile compounds was not enough. Scientists have found plenty of evidence that during the existence of our planet there were time intervals when the volcanoes were more active than during the Permian extinction. But, for some reason, no mass extinction then occurred. So, in the course of the eruptions 252 million years ago happened something terrible?
Effects of volcanic eruptions
Researchers from the U.S. state Arizona are sure that Yes. In an article published in , they hypothesized that a major role in the destruction of living creatures on Earth, played made by the volcanoes on the surface deposits of coal. The evidence of this was found near the Siberian river Yenisey, a team of scientists led by Professor Lindy Elkins-Tanton (Lindy Elkins-Tanton). It is believed that in Siberia millions of years ago observed the so-called flood basalts — an outpouring of the fiery liquid masses from the bowels of the Earth.
the Temperature of magma is 1300 degrees Celsius
In the framework of scientific work, American scientists and dozens of geologists from different countries, studied several tons of ancient rocks in Siberia. In them they found the remains of burnt wood and coal — most likely, millions of years ago, magma went through a thick layer of coal and triggered the occurrence of large fires.
Probably millions of years ago, the forest looked as
According to the researchers, the flame could spread over hundreds of thousands of years. Because of this, animals are not only burning in the woods, but died from the indirect effects of fires. For example, fires could be the cause of global warming air, that certainly would affect the health of living beings. Judging by fossil remains, the water temperature at the equator reached 40 degrees Celsius — many organisms are just cooked.
Fortunately, some animals were still able to survive in these terrible conditions. The most tenacious, of course, was insects like cockroaches — they still infest some homes and difficult to destroy. The fact that insects have such vitality, is great for us news. And all because without them, mankind would simply die — this is an important discovery recently . Suggest to read to everyone.
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