The Permo-Triassic mass extinction

This website presents an introduction to the Permo-Triassic mass extinction, 252 million years ago, and it introduces new work on the Permo-Triassic of the red beds of Russia (use side bar to navigate).

The Permian period was between 290 Ma and 252 Ma.
At that time the land was in one mass called a supercontinent. This supercontinent was PANGEA.
95% of all marine life on earth was killed.
70% of all land families became extinct.

Any words you don't understand? Try our glossary.

For references, credits and links to other web site click here.

This was the BIGGEST extinction known to man.

The Permian extinction				What could have caused such devastation?
A palaeontological overview				Volcanism
Evidence for the extinction				Impact
What died out?				Climate Change
				Formation of a Super-continent
				Glaciation
				Other theories

This website is one in a series of Palaeofiles produced by students following the palaeobiology programmes at University of Bristol's Department of Earth Sciences.

Authors: Anna Goodwin, Jon Wyles and Alex Morley (2001)