Science Books

Catastrophes and Lesser Calamities: The Causes of Mass Extinctions

This is a book about the dramatic periods in the Earth's history called mass extinctions - short periods (by geological standards) when life nearly died out on Earth.

See also:

Computers & Math

Earth & Climate

Reference

The most famous is the mass extinction that happened about 65 million years ago, and that caused the death of the dinosaurs.

But that was not the worst mass extinction: that honour goes to the extinction at the end of the Permian Period, about 250 million years ago, when over 90% of life is thought to have become extinct.

What caused these catastrophes? Was it the effects of a massive meteorite impact? There is evidence for such an impact about 65 million years ago.

Or was it a period of massive volcanic activity? There is evidence in the rocks of huge lava flows at periods that match several of the mass extinctions.

Was it something to do with climate change and sea level? Or was it a combination of some or all of these? The question has been haunting geologists for a number of years, and it forms one of the most exciting areas of research in geology today.

In this book, Tony Hallam, a distinguished geologist and writer, looks at all the different theories and also what the study of mass extinctions might tell us about the future.

For more information about the title Catastrophes and Lesser Calamities: The Causes of Mass Extinctions, read the full description at Amazon.com, or see the following related books:

When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time — "The focus is the most severe mass extinction known in earth's history….The science on which the book is based is up-to-date, thorough, and ... > read more

Extinction: How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago — Some 250 million years ago, the earth suffered the greatest biological crisis in its history. Around 95% of all living species died out--a global ... > read more

Rivers in Time — -- BioscienceSeveral times in the distant past, catastrophic extinctions have swept the Earth, causing more than half of all species -- from ... > read more

The Nemesis Affair: A Story of the Death of Dinosaurs and the Ways of Science — Nemesis is the name given by scientists to a (theoretical) small companion star to our sun. Every 26 million years, Nemesis's orbit brings it close ... > read more

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Author: Tony Hallam

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Date: Aug. 6, 2005

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Date and Rate of Earth's Most Extreme Extinction Pinpointed: Results Stem from Largest Ever Examination of Fossil Marine Species (November 18, 2011) — Through the analysis of various types of dating techniques on well-preserved sedimentary sections from South China to Tibet, researchers determined that the mass extinction peaked about 252.28 ... > read more

Ultra-Low Oxygen Could Have Triggered Die-Offs, Spurred Bird Breathing System (October 31, 2003) — Recent evidence suggests that oxygen levels were suppressed worldwide 175 million to 275 million years ago and fell to precipitously low levels compared with today's atmosphere, low enough to ... > read more

Permian Extraterrestrial Impact Caused Largest Mass Extinction On Earth (August 28, 2001) — What actually ended the Permian Period some 251 million years ago? Most Earth scientists think gradual sea fall, climate change, oceanic anoxia, and volcanism were the causes. But that's not so. A ... > read more

Ocean Ecosystems Only Altered Following Two Great Mass Extinctions; Unexpectedly Stable Over Hundreds Of Millions Of Years (May 14, 2002) — Marine life had to re-evolve after two major extinctions in order for shrimp and whales and other sea life as we know it to come into being. But what is remarkable, according to an article published ... > read more

Mass Extinction: Why Did Half of N. America's Large Mammals Disappear 40,000 to 10,000 Years Ago? (November 27, 2009) — Years of scientific debate over the extinction of ancient species in North America have yielded many theories. However, new findings reveal that a mass extinction occurred in a geological ... > read more

Species Extinction By Asteroid A Rarity (October 10, 2008) — New research argues in favor of a "sick earth" mechanism for most extinctions, rather than external event like an asteroid ... > read more

Fossil Record Supports Evidence Of Impending Mass Extinction (October 24, 2007) — Global temperatures predicted for the coming centuries may trigger a new 'mass extinction event' where over 50 percent of animal and plant species would be wiped out, warn scientists. Scientists have ... > read more

Catastrophic Coincidence: Second Ever Example Of Contemporaneous Meteorite Impact And Flood Volcanism Discovered (January 7, 2009) — Scientists have discovered only the second example of a meteorite impact that occurred at the same time as massive volcanic activity. The first time such a coincidence was observed, at the ... > read more