What are the five largest mass extinction events in the history of life on Earth?

Answer 1

There were 5 major times in history that mass extinctions occured.

These were in the:

1) Late Ordovician

2) Devonian

3) End of the Permian

4) Late Triassic

5) End of the Cretaceous

The Permian extinction was the largest and killed off 90% of the Earth's species. The cause is believed to be related to life already being stressed by a very dry climate, accompanied by prolonged periods of volcanic activity (the Siberia flood basalts).

The End Cretaceous extintion is the most famous as it is what ended the dinosaurs. The most common belief is that the cause was a 11km wide comet striking the Earth. However this is hottly debated as at the same time their was also a long period of volcanic activity in what is now India (the Decan Traps). Also some say that the rise of small mammals ended the dinosaurs by raiding their nests. It is possible that all these played a role.

The exact cause of many mass extintions is still being activly studied and debated by scientists

Answer 2

The five mass extinction events were

1. The Ordovician-Silurian extinction 450 mya (million years ago)
2. The late Devonian extinction 350-375 mya
3. The Permian-Triassic extinction 250 mya (the largest mass extinction)
4. The end Triassic extinction 205 mya
5. The Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction 65 mya

Answer 3

A mass extinction is a relatively sudden, global decrease in the diversity of life forms. Mass extinctions have occurred periodically throughout the existence of life on Earth. To be a mass extinction, the following must occur:

Extinctions occur all over the world.

A large number of species go extinct.

Many types of species go extinct.

The extinctions are clustered in a short amount of geological time (a few million years is very short in terms of geological time).

The five largest mass extinctions in Earth's history occurred during:

The late Ordovician period (about 438 million years ago) - 100 families extinct - more than half of the brazen and reshaped species extinct.

The late Devonian (about 360 Maye) - 30% of animal families extinct.

At the end of the Permian period (about 245 mya) - Trilobites go extinct. 50% of all animal families, 95% of all marine species and many trees die out.

The late Triassic (208 mya) - 35% of all animal families die out. Most early dinosaur families went extinct, and most synapses died out (except for the mammals).

At the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary (about 65 mya) - about half of all life forms died out, including the dinosaurs , pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, masseurs, ammonites, many families of fishes, clams, snails, sponges, sea urchins, and many others.

Currently, during the modern Holocene epoch, there is large number of extinctions occurring. Much minor extinction has also occurred through Earth's history.

Answer 4

the cause was from someone taking a big dump

Answer 5

somone take big popy and thehn mend born

Answer 6

the holocene extinction