Researchers Tie 1.5 Million-Sq-Km Siberian Sills to Extinction That Killed 90% of Marine Species
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 13
Researchers Tie 1.5 Million-Sq-Km Siberian Sills to Extinction That Killed 90% of Marine Species
1 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 13
Summary
An abrupt shift from Siberian Traps flood lavas to widespread underground sill intrusions is identified as the likeliest trigger for the end-Permian mass extinction about 252 million years ago.
More than 1.5 million square kilometres of sills spread through the Tunguska basin, where magma heated carbonate, evaporite and hydrocarbon-rich rocks and likely released greenhouse and toxic gases far beyond surface lava degassing alone.
That gas pulse is linked to roughly 10°C global sea-surface warming, ocean acidification and deoxygenation—stacked stresses that pushed marine ecosystems past multiple limits.
Marine losses reached roughly 80% to 90% of species, making the end-Permian event the largest known extinction in the Phanerozoic record.
The report says the strongest evidence supports tight timing between Siberian magmatism, carbon-cycle disruption and biological collapse, even as debate continues over the exact mix of mantle gases, sediment heating and methane release.
Lethal heat, acid seas, or suffocating oceans: what was the primary killer in Earth's greatest mass extinction?
The Great Dying set a speed limit for survival. Is modern climate change pushing life past its breaking point?
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The End-Permian Mass Extinction: How Prolonged Volcanism and Rapid Climate Change Triggered Earth's Greatest Biodiversity Crisis
Overview
The End-Permian mass extinction, the most severe in Earth's history, was not caused by a single event but by a complex chain of disasters. A long period of massive volcanic eruptions released huge amounts of gases and particles into the atmosphere and oceans. This ongoing volcanic activity dramatically changed the global climate, leading to extreme warming, ocean acidification, and oxygen loss. These environmental changes happened together, overwhelming ecosystems and pushing many species past their limits. The catastrophe shows how sustained geological activity can trigger cascading effects that devastate life on Earth.