Permian–Triassic mass extinction
E53623
The Permian–Triassic mass extinction was the most severe biodiversity crisis in Earth's history, wiping out the majority of marine and terrestrial species around 252 million years ago and marking the boundary between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras.
Observed surface forms (3)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Permian–Triassic extinction event | 3 |
| Permian–Triassic boundary | 1 |
| P–Tr extinction | 1 |
Statements (62)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
mass extinction event
ⓘ
paleontological event ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Great Dying
ⓘ
Permian–Triassic mass extinction ⓘ
surface form:
Permian–Triassic extinction event
Permian–Triassic mass extinction ⓘ
surface form:
P–Tr extinction
|
| associatedWith |
carbon cycle disruption
ⓘ
collapse of marine ecosystems ⓘ collapse of terrestrial ecosystems ⓘ extreme greenhouse warming ⓘ global euxinia ⓘ global warming of more than 5–10 °C ⓘ massive flood basalt eruptions ⓘ ocean acidification ⓘ ocean anoxia ⓘ rapid CO₂ increase ⓘ severe climate change ⓘ strong negative carbon isotope excursion ⓘ |
| durationEstimate | on the order of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years ⓘ |
| ecologicalConsequence |
long recovery time for biodiversity
ⓘ
reset of marine trophic structures ⓘ |
| estimatedRecoveryTime | 5–10 million years for many ecosystems ⓘ |
| followedBy | Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction ⓘ |
| generaLoss | about 80–90% of marine genera extinct ⓘ |
| geochemicalEvidence |
evidence for widespread anoxia in sedimentary rocks
ⓘ
large negative δ13C excursion ⓘ |
| geochronologyMethod | U–Pb zircon dating of volcanic ash beds ⓘ |
| invertebrateFamilyLoss | about 57% of marine invertebrate families extinct ⓘ |
| isBoundaryLevel |
Permian–Triassic mass extinction
self-linksurface differs
ⓘ
surface form:
Permian–Triassic boundary
|
| keyStudyRegion | Meishan section, South China ⓘ |
| majorVictimGroup |
many brachiopod groups
ⓘ
many fusulinid foraminifera ⓘ many insect orders ⓘ many synapsid (therapsid) lineages ⓘ rugose corals (extinct) ⓘ tabulate corals (extinct) ⓘ trilobites (completely extinct) ⓘ |
| marineSpeciesLoss | about 80–96% of marine species extinct ⓘ |
| marksBoundaryBetween |
Mesozoic Era
ⓘ
surface form:
Mesozoic era
Paleozoic Era ⓘ
surface form:
Paleozoic era
Permian Period ⓘ
surface form:
Permian period
Triassic ⓘ
surface form:
Triassic period
|
| paleontologicalEvidence |
abrupt faunal turnover in fossil record
ⓘ
global extinction horizon in marine strata ⓘ |
| plantImpact | major turnover in terrestrial floras ⓘ |
| possibleContributingCause |
continental aridification
ⓘ
impact event (hypothesized, not widely accepted) ⓘ methane release from seafloor or permafrost ⓘ ocean stratification ⓘ ozone layer depletion ⓘ sea-level changes ⓘ wildfires ⓘ |
| precededBy | Capitanian (Guadalupian) mass extinction ⓘ |
| primarySuspectedCause | Siberian Traps large igneous province volcanism ⓘ |
| recognizedAs | one of the “Big Five” Phanerozoic mass extinctions ⓘ |
| relativeSeverity | most severe mass extinction in Earth history ⓘ |
| survivorGroup |
ammonoids (severely reduced but later radiated)
ⓘ
archosaur lineages ⓘ bivalves ⓘ early ancestors of mammals ⓘ gastropods ⓘ |
| terrestrialVertebrateSpeciesLoss | about 70% or more of terrestrial vertebrate species extinct ⓘ |
| timePeriod | around 252 million years ago ⓘ |
Referenced by (9)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
P–Tr extinction
this entity surface form:
Permian–Triassic extinction event
this entity surface form:
Permian–Triassic extinction event
this entity surface form:
Permian–Triassic extinction event
Permian–Triassic mass extinction
→
isBoundaryLevel
→
Permian–Triassic mass extinction
self-linksurface differs
ⓘ
this entity surface form:
Permian–Triassic boundary