Massive eruptions on the ocean floor may have triggered ancient mass extinction pulses
Enormous volcanic eruptions on the seafloor released staggering amounts of greenhouse gases, potentially driving several distinct pulses of biological collapse during the greatest mass extinction in Earth's long history.
The Permian-Triassic extinction, often called the Great Dying, nearly wiped out all life on Earth roughly 252 million years ago. While land-based volcanoes were known culprits, researchers now believe massive underwater eruptions played a critical role. These deep-sea events released immense volumes of carbon dioxide and methane directly into the ocean.
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