The Triassic-Jurassic
Boundary Extinction

There have been five major extinction events in geologic history. The largest of which was the Permian-Triassic extinction that occurred approximately 251 million years ago. During this extinction, 96% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species went extinct. Other extinction events include the Cretaceous- Tertiary and the End Ordovician. The Triassic-Jurassic boundary extinction occurred 200 million years ago during the Phanerozoic eon. The extinction occurred just before Pangaea broke apart. This extinction affected land, sea and faunal species like the Permian-Triassic extinction. There is a lot of evidence supporting the extinction at the Triassic-Jurassic …show more content…

Terrestrial and marine extinction at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary synchronized with major carbon-cycle perturbation: A link to initiation of massive volcanism? relates data found from the United Kingdom and Greenland that apparently demonstrate the extinction of terrestrial and marine species as well as certain faunal species coincides with one of the largest volcanic eruptions, which characterized the Central Atlantic magmatic province. The intense volcanism that is associated with the Triassic-Jurassic boundary extinction is also noted in Carbon isotope anomaly and other agrochemical changes at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary from a marine section in Hungry. This article states that the volcanism of the Central Atlantic magmatic province “may have induced climatic and oceanographic changes that triggered gas hydrate dissociation, which in turn accelerated environmental change, contributing to the biotic turnover around the Triassic-Jurassic boundary (Palfy, 2001).” It is thought that the intense volcanism and the productivity collapse led to the mass extinction during this period. However, some scientists do not interpret the facts the same way as the others. Paul Olsen and his team have published many articles that go against the grain of the widely accepted view of the Triassic-Jurassic extinction. His articles discount the species that may or may not have been around during the time. New early Jurassic tetrapod assemblages