New evidence adds the Capitanian extinction to the list of major extinction crises
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 16:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Since the Cambrian Explosion, ecosystems have suffered repeated mass extinctions, with the 'Big 5' crises being the most prominent. Twenty years ago, a sixth major extinction was recognized in the Middle Permian (262 million years ago) of China, when paleontologists teased apart losses from the 'Great Dying' at the end of the period. Until now, this Capitanian extinction was known only from equatorial settings, and its status as a global crisis was controversial.