1. The Permian – Triassic Mass Extinction

2. “Mother of Mass Extinction”
Super Continent, Pangea
At the boundary between the Permian and Triassic
Most Sever Extinction in earth history

3. What Happened? About 50% of Families and 90% of Species disappeared
Very slow recovery of post-extinction plants and marine ecosystems
Radiolaria deposition shut down
Coral and Reefs absent altogether

4. Diversity High levels of diversity in Permian, while low in Triassic.
Handful Survive while extinction spreads
Leaving the brachiopoda Lingula, Isoetes, and Lystrosaurus

5. Marine Extinction Hardest Hit of them all
Wiped out remaining trilobites and…
Switch from Brachiopoda to Bivalves
Marine ecosystems slow to recover

6. Extinction On Land 21 tetrapod families disappeared
Last occurrence of the Dicynodont and the Dicynodon zone
Lystrosaurus appears abundant

7. What Cause The Extinction?
Asteroid?
Clusters of carbon atoms found in sediment
Occurred during time of extreme volcanism
Plants might have been dying already
But volcanism couldn’t have done it alone