Carnian Pluvial Episode newly identified mass extinction event

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SUMMARY

The Carnian Pluvial Episode is a newly identified mass extinction event that occurred during the middle Triassic period, characterized by significant volcanic activity in Northwestern North America. This event led to a dramatic shift in biodiversity, with mammals emerging at its conclusion and dinosaurs becoming the dominant terrestrial vertebrates. The extinction was primarily driven by massive basalt eruptions, which resulted in increased temperatures and decreased rainfall, severely impacting both terrestrial and marine ecosystems, including coral reefs. The volume of basalt produced during this event is estimated at 1,000,000 km³, comparable to the Deccan Traps.

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  • Research the geological characteristics of the Deccan Traps and their role in mass extinctions
  • Study the implications of the Carnian Pluvial Episode on the evolution of dinosaurs
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TL;DR
https://phys.org/news/2020-09-discovery-mass-extinction.html
https://phys.org/news/2020-09-discovery-mass-extinction.html

This article discusses a newly identified extinction event that occurred in middle Triassic. Mammals appeared at the end of the event, dinosaurs which were rare, became the dominant animal group. The cause was massive eruptions in what is now Northwestern North America, driving the temperatures up, rainfall down, and an extinction of existing terrestrial and marine plant and animal groups. For example, coral reef ecosystems became extant.
 
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Looking at the paper, 1,000,000 km^3 of basalt is about the same volume as the Deccan Traps

Smaller than the NJ Palisades, associated with the end-Triassic extinction which was 2–3M km^3 and of course the Siberian Traps, associated with the Permian extinction at 4M km^3
 
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