#The Permian-Triassic Extinction Event

[nickysfacts]

The Lystrosaurus were the adorable survivalists of the Triassic period!

😍

[osmiumpenguin]

[dr1f7w00d]

sometimes i worry that our rising earth temperatures could lead to a great dying 2.0: man-made edition. then i remember that all those big bugs didn't have any warning. they were just out there being bugs. truly burdened by knowledge with 250 million years of hindsight

[timefadesaway]

david tennant survived the great tumblr sexyman extinction event like cynodonts through the permian-triassic extinction

[mist-fire]

"The Doctor's companion should be a history major!"

Yes. But have you also considered: ✨geologist✨

Imagine the Doctor befriends some random person, they get along pretty well, but through some events or another, they realize/get taken on a trip in the TARDIS, and they're just staring at the Doctor, eyes absolutely fucking huge. Their voice is desperate and disbelieving when they say, shaking a bit:

"You can travel in time?"

The Doctor is bemused and just goes, "yes?"

Their eyes get even wider if possible, and then they ask: "Can we go to the Permian?"

Once again, the Doctor's a bit baffled, but hey, who cares, might as well take a trip a few hundred million years into the past. The person gives them specific coordinates, which is also a bit weird, but makes it easier to navigate, so who are they to complain.

The Doctor flings open the doors, and the person just looks outside at the massive incised valley on the coastline and just starts sobbing. They're a PhD student. Their entire thesis is about the fluctuations in sea level during the Permian, and the mass extinction at the Permi-Triassic boundary.

They've just been proven right.

And hey, the Doctor likes the geologist well enough, and likes them even more after they start asking intensely theoretical questions about the deep past and future, so they take them as a companion. They visit the Grand Canyon to discover that, yes, the Western side is only 6 million years old. They jump to the future to watch plate tectonics.

When they go to other planets, the geologist is of course curious about the culture, but even more curious about the geochemistry of the planet, and how was that mountain formed over there, and do they have plate tectonics, is the geomorphology the same if the gravity differs on each planet? And the Doctor is thrilled because look, someone new to info dump on, and they seem to be understanding almost everything they're saying about the composition of the crust, and the different types of rocks on each planet.

Like, you can't tell me they each wouldn't love that. I would love that, so.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Quaternary includes both the Pleistocene and Holocene extinction pulses, even though the first may not be entirely anthropogenic

I’m not including the great oxygenation event because that is the least clear in terms of whether or not it actually was an extinction

[bestanimal]

Round 1 - Phylum Brachiopoda

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Brachiopoda is a phylum of animals that are superficially similar but entirely unrelated to bivalve molluscs, in that they have hard valves (shells) protecting their bodies. However, unlike bivalves, who have a left and right shell arrangement, brachiopods have upper and lower shells (trust me, it makes sense anatomically). Their shells are hinged at the rear, while the front end can be opened for feeding or closed for protection. Most brachiopods have a stalk-like pedicle which projects from an opening near their hinge and anchors the animal to the sea floor (see 3rd image). Some brachiopods use their pedicle to emerge and retract into a burrow. They are filter feeders, using a lophophore to feed. However, unlike bryozoans and entoprocts, their lophophore is U-shaped. Some species do not have an anus, instead combining solid waste with mucus and periodically "sneezing” it out. Brachiopod lifespans can range from 3 to 30+ years. They only live in the ocean, in areas with cold water and low light, and without strong currents or waves, Some are commonly known as “lamp shells.”

There are two major categories of brachiopod; articulate and inarticulate. Articulate refers to the tooth-and-groove structure at the hinge of the shell, which inarticulate brachiopods lack. Inarticulate brachiopods have larvae that look like miniature adults with extended lophophores (seen in gif below), which live as plankton for months before growing too heavy and sinking to the sea floor. Articulate brachiopods have larvae which look like blobs with a yolk sack and live as plankton for a few days before metamorphosing.

Brachiopods have existed since the early Cambrian, but lost about 2/3 of their once great diversity during the Permian-Triassic extinction event. Today there are about 100 living genera, though there are 5,000 fossil genera.

Propaganda under the cut:

Brachiopods hit their peak in the Paleozoic era, occupying many ecological niches and being the most abundant filter-feeders and reef-builders. After losing most of their diversity in the Triassic, they’ve lost this position to bivalves. But we must never forget the Old Kings of Shell.

The smallest living brachiopod, Gwynia, is only about 1 mm long and lives between grains of gravel.

The largest brachiopods known lived in the Carboniferous: Gigantoproductus and Titanaria could be 30 to 38 cm (12 to 15 in) wide. Today, most brachiopods range from 1 to 100 mm (0.04 to 3.9 in) long, with the largest being Magellania venosa.

Brachiopod flesh is apparently Not That Great, and not much preys on them. Even fossil brachiopods are rarely found with evidence of predation in the same way fossil bivalves are. Humans, however, do fish for one genera commercially, though on a small scale. Because of course we do.

Brachiopods are apparently very sensitive to pollution, and are good indicators of water quality.

Brachiopods are the state fossil of Kentucky. No specific species. Just all of them, I guess.

[mesozoicmarket]

A trilobite fossil of a Paladin mucronatus rotundatus from the Four Fathom Limestone Member, Alston Formation in Ireshopeburn, County Durham, England. Carboniferous to Permian aged proetids like Paladin were one of the last trilobites after the Late Devonian Extinction which decimated all other clades. Possibly due to this massive loss in diversity, trilobites would later go extinct during the Permian–Triassic Extinction Event or Great Dying.

[maklodes]

The first "big event" I can think of that makes me think "that really sucked. It's bad that that happened" is the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event, wiping out most of Earth's life 252 million years ago. The first "big event" I can think of that makes me think "that was cool. It's a good thing that that happened" is the Reforms of Solon, establishing a more-or-less democratic Athens 2617 years ago.

Feels a little asymmetrical.

[miscellaneoussmp]

Quick addition to my paleontology analysis because I'm a nerd and I need to get across how fucking old Badboyhalo is!!!

Bad is at least as old as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg/K-T) mass extinction! This is the extinction event that killed off all of the Non-Avian dinosaurs! In total, it killed about 60 to 70% of all species on earth! This happened around 66 million years ago!

Bad is also possibly as old as the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, then he would have also been around for the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction event. This extinction event killed off about 80% of all species on earth! It happened around 201.3 million years ago!

Bad might be as old as the Permian-Triassic mass extinction event! This extinction event killed off about 90% of all species on earth! It is the largest known mass extinction event! This happened around 251.9 million years ago!

That is at least one mass extinction event that Bad would have been around for!!!

[rainbow-femme]

Can’t stop thinking about mass extinction events. People generally know about the one that killed the dinosaurs but there have been 5 mass extinction events in earths history. The Permian-Triassic event had earth lose over 90% of species and it bounced back to then have the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event, and then it bounced back again, and then the Cretaceous extinction, and it bounced back to the way we are now

There have been so many different versions of earth. It’s easy to think of it as two phases, dinosaurs and then us, but there are multiple completely different worlds that have happened in the exact same spot and no matter how terrible an event occurs, if something is alive then the entire earth manages to still come back

[dougdimmadodo]

May’s Fossil of the Month - Thrinaxodon (Thrinaxodon liorhinus)

Family: Thrinaxodon Family (Thrinaxodontidae)

Time Period: Early Triassic (251-247 Million Years Ago) 

At the end of the Permian period around 251 million years ago, the earth experienced the most extreme extinction event in its history (known as the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event or “The Great Dying”,) in which some 70% of terrestrial species and 81% of marine species were driven to extinction. As such, the period immediately following the Permian, the early Triassic, was a period of slow recovery as the descendants of the few survivors of the Great Dying began to adapt and diversify to fill the ecological niches left empty by the extinction of their previous occupants. Thrinaxodon liorhinus was one such survivor; a small (roughly 50cm/1.6 feet in length) species of cynodont synapsid (making it a close relative of mammals, but not a mammal itself), it inhabited what is now southern Africa and northern Antarctica (which were fused as part of a single landmass at the time) in the period immediately following the great dying, and was seemingly among the largest and most common carnivores of its time. Thrinaxodon’s survival was likely enabled at least in part due to its lifestyle; the discovery of individuals fossilized in the remains of burrows show that Thrinaxodon, like many similarly-sized mammals today, was a burrower, and the presence of distinct divisions on its spine to aid in flexibility suggests that, like many burrowing mammals and reptiles today, it may have possessed the ability to travel deeper underground and undergo hibernation or aestivation in order to endure prolonged periods of harsh weather conditions and resource scarcity. In life Thrinaxodon would have likely appeared somewhere between a large lizard and a small dog, with its leg bones and joints suggesting that it stood in a “semi-sprawling” posture mid-way between the belly-to-the-ground sprawling of most lizards and the elevated posture of most mammals, while its dog-like skull and sharp-tipped teeth (including prominent canines on both the upper and lower jaw) suggest that it was likely carnivorous, feeding on insects and/or smaller vertebrates. The discovery of the remains of several Thrinaxodon individuals, sometimes including juveniles, preserved in close proximity to one another suggests that members of this species likely provided parental care and may have also been social, and one unusual but extremely famous fossil burrow containing both an adult Thrinaxodon and an injured Broomistega putterilli (a small species of superficially salamander-like amphibian) showing puncture wounds from teeth too large to belong to the burrow’s owner suggests that, like the Gopher Tortoise and Giant Armadillo today, Thrinaxodon may have been a habitat engineer, with its burrows providing shelter for other species of animal (although it is also possible that the Broomistega had been washed into the burrow during a flood that killed both animals, or that the Thrinaxodon had stolen the injured Broomistega from the larger carnivore that wounded it.)

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Image Sources:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thrinaxodon_liorhinus_BP_1_7199.jpg

and

https://www.pbs.org/video/the-oddest-couple-in-the-fossil-record-rcehau/

[andy-paleoart]

The great dying: Permo-Triassic extinction | A grande morte: Extinção Permo-Triássica

🇬🇧

The Permian-Triassic Extinction is the most devastating mass extinction event in Earth's history, occurring approximately 252 million years ago, at the end of the Permian period and the beginning of the Triassic period. This mass extinction resulted in the loss of up to 96% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial species.

The exact causes of the Permian-Triassic Extinction are still debated among scientists, but several theories have been proposed. One of them is intense volcanic activity, such as the massive eruption of the Siberian Traps, a large volcanic province in Russia. This activity released huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, causing drastic climate change and ocean acidification.

These catastrophic events caused widespread mass extinctions, affecting both marine and terrestrial organisms. The recovery of biodiversity after the Permian-Triassic Extinction took millions of years and profoundly influenced the subsequent evolution of life on Earth.

The relationship between the Permian-Triassic Extinction and current climate events can be observed through similarities in causative factors and consequences for life on Earth. Similarly, contemporary climate events are largely influenced by human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, which releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This anthropogenic activity has led to global warming, changes in precipitation patterns, rising sea levels, and ocean acidification, among other impacts. These changes are putting immense pressure on ecosystems and biodiversity, leading to species extinctions and ecosystem degradation. Both the Permian-Triassic Extinction and current climate events highlight the profound impact that changes in climate can have on life on Earth. Understanding the parallels between these events can help inform efforts to mitigate the current climate crisis and protect the planet's biodiversity and ecosystems.

🇧🇷

A Extinção Permiano-Triássica é o evento de extinção em massa mais devastador da história da Terra, ocorrido há cerca de 252 milhões de anos, no final do período Permiano e início do período Triássico. Esta extinção em massa resultou na perda de até 96% das espécies marinhas e 70% das espécies terrestres.

As causas exatas da Extinção Permiano-Triássica ainda são objeto de debate entre os cientistas, mas várias teorias foram propostas. Uma delas é a atividade vulcânica intensa, como a erupção em massa dos Trapps Siberianos, uma grande província magmática na Rússia. Essa atividade liberou enormes quantidades de gases de efeito estufa na atmosfera, causando mudanças climáticas drásticas e acidificação dos oceanos.

Esses eventos catastróficos causaram extinções em massa generalizadas, afetando tanto organismos marinhos quanto terrestres. A recuperação da biodiversidade após a Extinção Permiano-Triássica levou milhões de anos e influenciou profundamente a evolução subsequente da vida na Terra.

A relação entre a Extinção Permiano-Triássica e os eventos climáticos atuais pode ser observada através de semelhanças nos fatores causadores e nas consequências para a vida na Terra. Da mesma forma, os eventos climáticos contemporâneos são amplamente influenciados por atividades humanas, particularmente a queima de combustíveis fósseis, que libera gases de efeito estufa na atmosfera. Essa atividade antropogênica tem causado o aquecimento global, mudanças nos padrões de precipitação, aumento do nível do mar e acidificação dos oceanos, entre outros impactos. Essas mudanças estão exercendo uma pressão imensa sobre os ecossistemas e a biodiversidade, levando a extinções de espécies e degradação dos ecossistemas. Tanto a Extinção Permiano-Triássica quanto os eventos climáticos atuais destacam o profundo impacto que as mudanças climáticas podem ter na vida na Terra. Compreender os paralelos entre esses eventos pode ajudar a informar esforços para mitigar a atual crise climática e proteger a biodiversidade e os ecossistemas do planeta.

[lsopod]

i though isopods went extinct million sof years ago?

my friend

do you perhaps mean to say trilobites?

theeese funky little guys?

arthropods evolved into existence around 500 million years ago, trilobites being amongst the first of the arthropods. Trilobites did not survive the Permian-Triassic extinction event, but isopods did! Isopods are a more specific order of arthropod and evolved into existence around 358 million years ago and are still around today!From your giant deepsea isopod, to the silly little woodlice that you see under any rock or log they are extant!

[raptorfae53]

DISGUISAUR (grass-dragon)

If there was ever a pokemon self-aware of its own shortcomings, it'd be Disguisaur. A thoroughly average sort of 'mon with little discernable elemental power, no powerful evolution or anything beyond what it has on hand. Which is unfortunate as they tend to live in jungles populated with only the fiercest,toughest pokemon in the entire region! What disguisaur does have however is a cunning,if neurotic mind and often it's all it really needs...

Using the resources of its forested home,branches,bark, slate pebbles and fruit husks with a helping of sticky mud to bind it all together Disguisaur creates elaborate costumes to ward off other pokemon . Funnily enough the rise in the pokemons confidence wearing said disguises brings can in turn lead to a rise in specific stats based upon the disguise worn, a horned or spiked disguise meant to ward off a potential predator leads to a boost in defensive stats for example, whilst a disguise meant to scare potential competitors off of some food yields a boost in attack stats.

If training a Disguisaur, these factors are of primary importance as is improving the animals confidence in its abilities both in regards to and beyond its disguises, as well as encouraging its creativity during their creation. Some trainers have taken to enrolling their Disguisaurs in "forest-school"-type activities to better said skills,and if taught well the pokemon is known to be a fierce,intelligent battler and loyal companion.

Back again with another pokemon (based on Triassic Archisauriform reptiles) and one of the personal favourites of I've designed so far,wdyt?

Design inspiration down below:

Disguisaur is based on the various strange and diverse archisauriform reptiles that proliferated between the end-permian and end-triassic extinction events before the dinosaurs.

The HP disguise is based on the sailed Ctenosauriscus.

The Attack disguise is based on the large-headed Erythrosuchus.

The Defense disguise is based on the horned Shringasaurus.

The Special Attack disguise is based on the crocodile-like Smilosuchus.

The Special Defence disguise is based on the armoured Desmatosuchus.

The Speed disguise (or lack thereof) is based on the early archisauriforms found in the fremouw formation in Antarctica

See along with New Zealand/Aotearoa and the various islands of the South Pacific, I intend on including a sort of tropical "lost world" area far to the south of the region shrouded in nigh impenetrable glaciers and mountains based on the Ross territory of Antarctica claimed by New Zealand/Aotearoa, which is rich in Permian,Triassic and Jurassic fossils since the south pacifics fossil record is a little on the scrappy side and I feel I needed a few more creatures for pokemon inspiration.

Anyways,watch this space because I'm in the mood for drawing creatures and further filling out the pokedex of this as yet still unnamed region,who knows I might do some regional variants next...

[mckitterick]

Manatee Bay, Florida, reports ocean temperature of 101.1°F (38°C), a global record

Ocean temperatures are also breaking records in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean this week.

The ocean has warmed unabated since 1970, having absorbed more than 90% of excess heat from the climate system, and is now seven degrees hotter than normal.

Why is this bad?

Rising global temperatures decrease oxygen solubility in water, increase the rate of oxygen consumption via respiration, and reduce the introduction of oxygen from the atmosphere and surface waters into the ocean interior by increasing stratification and weakening ocean overturning circulation.

Low-oxygen zones increase production of N2O (a potent greenhouse gas), reduce biodiversity, alter food webs, and negatively affect food security and livelihoods. Both acidification and rising temperature are linked with deoxygenation and combine with low-oxygen conditions to affect biogeochemical, physiological, and ecological processes.

Global warming is the primary cause of ongoing deoxygenation. Models project further oxygen declines during the 21st century, even with ambitious emission reductions.

But wait, there's more.

How could ocean warming be catastrophic?

Clathrates are deposits of methane trapped within ice on the bottom of the ocean, usually off the continental shelf where decaying biological material has flowed from the land into the seas for millennia.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, possessing global-warming potential 72× greater than carbon dioxide.

Sudden release of large amounts of natural gas from long-frozen methane clathrate deposits likely were responsible for Earth's sudden runaway warming 630 million years ago, the Permian-Triassic extinction event, and the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.

Our greatest hope right now is that most clathrates lie deep under the ocean where temperatures are less likely to rise rapidly enough to melt their ice caps.

However, some methane clathrate deposits are much shallower, making them far more vulnerable to warming. A deposit off Canada in the Beaufort Sea and another in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf are as shallow as 45 meters, so even slight ocean warming could quickly release gas from the currently frozen methane.

Not less than 1,400 gigatons of methane currently lurk under the Arctic submarine permafrost, with up to 50 gigatons of methane hydrate highly likely to be abruptly released at any time.

A release on this scale would increase the methane content of the planet's atmosphere by a factor of twelve, equivalent in greenhouse effect to doubling the level of CO2.

Recognizing this threat led to the "Clathrate Gun" hypothesis. A 2012 study concluded that melting these Arctic methane clathrates would mean a 1000-fold free methane increase in a single pulse, increasing atmospheric temperatures by more than 6°C in 80 years.

(map of methane clathrate deposits worldwide)

The worst part of all this horror is that such a sudden warming is also likely to set off other methane clathrate deposits across the world, sending Earth into an ever-increasing temperature spiral akin to those ancient extinction events.

So, yeah, ocean temperatures like this are not just red flags, but radioactively glowing warning signs of impending worldwide disaster.