The Triassic-Jurassic

The Triassic-Jurassic

Boundary Extinction

There have been five major extinction events in geologic history. The largest of which was the Permian-Triassic extinction that occurred approximately 251 million years ago. During this extinction, 96% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species went extinct. Other extinction events include the Cretaceous- Tertiary and the End Ordovician. The Triassic-Jurassic boundary extinction occurred 200 million years ago during the Phanerozoic eon. The extinction occurred just before Pangaea broke apart. This extinction affected land, sea and faunal species like the Permian-Triassic extinction.

There is a lot of evidence supporting the extinction at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary. The hypothesis of Sudden Productivity Collapse Associated with the Triassic-Jurassic Boundary Mass Extinction is that many species of the Triassic Period did not survive the mass extinction between the Triassic and Jurassic Periods and that this extinction was very quick and detrimental to many species. P.D. Ward suggests that this extinction was similar to but not as extreme as the Permian-Triassic and the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinctions.

The research conducted by P.D. Ward and his team of scientists is