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Did a gamma ray burst cause a mass extinction?
440-million-year-old fossils hint at cosmic explosion. Some 440 million years ago, a nearby gamma-ray burst may have extinguished much of life on Earth, say US astronomers1. This has been put forward as the cause of the mass extinction two million years ago. …
What caused the greatest mass extinction?
Scientists have debated until now what made Earth’s oceans so inhospitable to life that some 96 percent of marine species died off at the end of the Permian period. New research shows the “Great Dying” was caused by global warming that left ocean animals unable to breathe.
What mass extinction was responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs?
The Permian-Triassic extinction event, known as the Great Dying, occurred 251.4 million years ago and eradicated 96 percent of all marine species and 70 percent of all terrestrial vertebrates species on earth. For many years, climate change was the most credible explanation for the dinosaurs’ demise.
When was the most powerful gamma ray burst?
Very-high-energy gamma rays may be slowed down as they propagate through the quantum turbulence of space-time. The explosion took place 12.2 billion light-years (light travel distance) away. That means it occurred 12.2 billion years ago—when the universe was only about 1.5 billion years old.
Can Earth survive a gamma-ray burst?
A nearby gamma-ray burst, beamed directly at Earth, is pretty unlikely. However, if one did occur, the amount of damage would depend on how close the burst is. With the gamma-rays beamed directly at Earth, the radiation would destroy a significant portion of our atmosphere, specifically the ozone layer.
What is the most powerful event in the universe?
gamma-ray bursts
In gamma-ray astronomy, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are immensely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies. They are the brightest and most energetic electromagnetic events known to occur in the universe. Bursts can last from ten milliseconds to several hours.
What caused the mass extinction 252 million years ago?
Approximately 252 million years ago, long before the emergence of dinosaurs, at the Permian-Triassic boundary, the largest of the known mass extinctions on Earth occurred. Analyses showed that the volcanisms released more than 100,000 billion tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, triggering the onset of the extinction.
What caused mass extinction 250 million years ago?
Mass Extinction from 250 Million Years Ago Caused by Volcanic Eruptions in Siberia. It was already known that the Siberian volcanic eruptions at times were mostly responsible for initiating the onset of Great Dying, aka the Permian-Triassic mass extinction that ended the Permian Period.
How many mass extinctions have there been in the past 500 million years?
five mass extinctions
In the last 500 million years, Earth has undergone five mass extinctions, including the event 66 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaurs.
What were the big 5 mass extinctions?
Sea-level falls are associated with most of the mass extinctions, including all of the “Big Five”—End-Ordovician, Late Devonian, End-Permian, End-Triassic, and End-Cretaceous.
What is the strongest energy ever?
The most explosive, energetic event ever observed is one such gamma-ray burst, discovered by a NASA observatory and releasing 5 x 10⁵⁴ joules (J) of energy.
Did a gamma ray burst trigger the Ordovician extinction?
The Ordovician extinction — one of the “big five” in Earth’s history — occurred around 450 million years ago when the population of marine species plummeted. Evidence suggests that this occurred during an ice age and a gamma ray burst is one of several possible mechanisms that may have triggered this extinction event.
Did a massive star explosion trigger the mass extinction event?
Image above: Scientists say that a ten-second burst of gamma rays from a massive star explosion within 6,000 light years from Earth could have triggered a mass extinction hundreds of millions of years ago. In this artist’s conception we see the gamma rays hitting the Earth’s atmosphere.
What is the most famous mass extinction in history?
The most famous mass extinction is the Cretaceous-Paleogene event that wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs some 65 million years ago. Additional reporting by Press Association
Do all mass extinctions have an easily identified culprit?
But not all mass extinctions are quite as dramatic and not all have an easily identified culprit. The Ordovician extinction — one of the “big five” in Earth’s history — occurred around 450 million years ago when the population of marine species plummeted.