There was an additional mass die-off in the geological period between 264.28 million and 259.51 million years ago known as the Capitanian mass extinction event, in the Permian stage, according to a study led by researcher Huyue Song at the China University of Geosciences. The paper was published in the peer-reviewed journal, Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
Roughly 260 million years ago, an event occurred, known as the Permian–Triassic extinction, which killed off 81% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species. This was the biggest catastrophe that ever occurred on Earth, and the alleged reason was the sudden eruption of Siberian Traps. This fact is well established by science.
The new research shows that the Permian–Triassic extinction event was followed by another – yet unnamed – die-off, which happened 3 million years later. Once again, the culprit is the eruption of volcanoes, this time, the nearby Emeishan Traps, in China's southwest.
The eruptions warmed the oceans via greenhouse gases, and this prevented oxygen from reaching lower depths. This caused “ocean hypoxia” – in other words, sea-dwellers were slowly suffocated and died or perished because their usual meal suffocated and died as well.
Researchers believe there is a message here, today's global warming crisis is something that should be taken seriously.
"We are studying the biocrisis in the Permian Period, but [a] similar warming is happening today because of human events…Humans are mimicking the effects of volcanic eruptions as a consequence of the release of carbon into the atmosphere," reportedly said a study co-author.
When we talk about a mass die-off, we usually think about the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction, which occurred 66 million years ago and wiped out 75% of all species, including dinosaurs. This is widely known thanks to Hollywood and general interest in dinosaurs.
Allegedly, the apocalyptic event was triggered by what's known as the Chicxulub impact, when a 10 to 15 km asteroid hit the Earth near the Yucatan Peninsula. However, there were other mass extinctions and they were no less deadly. There were at least five great extinctions, including the Permian–Triassic one, and numerous minor ones. Now we can add one more to the record.