Physorg
Read more
Scientists have uncovered a lot about the Earth's greatest
extinction event that took place 250 million years ago when rapid
climate change wiped out nearly all marine species and a majority of
those on land. Now, they have discovered a new culprit likely involved
in the annihilation: an influx of mercury into the eco-system.
"No one had ever looked to see if mercury was a potential culprit.
This was a time of the greatest volcanic activity in Earth's history and
we know today that the largest source of mercury comes from volcanic eruptions," says Dr. Steve Grasby, co-author of a paper published this month in the journal Geology. "We estimate that the mercury released then could have been up to 30 times greater than today's volcanic activity,
making the event truly catastrophic." Grasby is a research scientist at
Natural Resources Canada and an adjunct professor at the University of
Calgary.
Dr. Benoit Beauchamp, professor of geology at the University of
Calgary, says this study is significant because it's the first time
mercury has been linked to the cause of the massive extinction that took
place during the end of the Permian.
"Geologists,
including myself should be taking notes and taking another look at the
other five big extinction events," says Beauchamp, also a co-author.
Read more
No comments:
Post a Comment