RE: [Geology2] World's Largest Extinction Explained by World's Largest Volcanic Eruption

Fascinating! Now I wonder if there was enough coal in the areaa 250 million years ago to get tht effect. Had life been around long enough - swamps and that sort of coal precursor - to make enough carbon to create the coal? The planet has been around a long time. Hmmm...

-----Original Message-----
Date: Sunday, January 23, 2011 7:59:01 pm
To: "Geology2" <geology2@yahoogroups.com>
From: "Lin Kerns" <linkerns@gmail.com>
Subject: [Geology2] World's Largest Extinction Explained by World's Largest Volcanic Eruption

World's Largest Extinction Explained by World's Largest Volcanic Eruption

Published January 23, 2011

[image: The shores of Buchanan Lake, Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut, where
researchers have discovered sediments deposited shortly after the worst
extinction event in Earth's history.]

Steve Grasby, University of Calgary/NRCan

The shores of Buchanan Lake, Axel Heiberg Island, Nunavut, where researchers
have discovered sediments deposited shortly after the worst extinction event
in Earth's history.

It must have been one hell of an eruption.

About 250 million years ago, hundreds of millions of years before the
dinosaurs were wiped from the face of the planet, 95 percent of the
primitive life developing in the sea was wiped out -- and 70 percent of the
critters evolving on the Earth's surface. And no one knew why -- until now.

Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered evidence suggesting
that massive volcanic eruptions at the time burnt significant volumes of
coal, produ

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