Volcanic eruption linked to unrecorded mass extinction from about 233 million years ago

Even though there have been only five widely-accepted major mass extinctions, a recent study has suggested the possibility of a new mass extinction that created the conditions favourable for the dinosaurs to flourish on Earth.

A study published earlier this month in Science Advances has proposed that a previously unknown mass extinction had occurred at least 233 million years ago, during the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE). 

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Citing field studies, the researchers have said that large volcanic eruptions that occurred in western Canada are likely to have caused the event by releasing excessive amounts of greenhouse gases.

Scientists believe this further led to global warming followed by a period of increased rainfall that went on roughly for one million years and shortly after, the climatic conditions changed from being rainy to arid that coupled with a surge in plant growth and provided a warmer, oxygen-rich environment that was habitable for dinosaurs. 

The researchers wrote, “We show that existing data indicate that the CPE was a major extinction event that was followed by an explosive diversification of important organisms in the sea and on land that now play a key role in modern ecosystems.”

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NYU geologist opposes CPE as major mass extinction

Earlier in 2019, a geologist at the New York University, Dr Michael Rampino, had published a paper suggesting a different mass extinction 260 million years ago dismissing CPE as not meeting the criteria for such an event.  A major mass extinction event is accepted to have taken place when at least 75 percent of the species in the world die within a relatively short period of time.

Even though it is difficult for the researchers to gather data backing the potential of such an event, in the past 545 million years, there have only been five of these mass extinctions that were majorly triggered by volcanic eruptions. There have been many minor mass extinctions throughout Earth’s history that led to the disappearance of 20 to 40 percent of species. 

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