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Storiascopio · Era 1 of 12 · primary year 3

The great Permian extinction

about 252 million years ago · The whole Earth (eruptions in Siberia)

Illustration: The great Permian extinction

In short

At the end of the Permian, most species in the sea and many on land disappeared. Huge volcanic eruptions in Siberia warmed the climate and made the seas more acidic and short of oxygen. The crisis did not have one single, instant cause: it was a chain of disasters.

Why it matters It was the worst mass extinction we know of, and it completely changed the world's ecosystems.

Source: Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 2022, “Environmental crises at the Permian–Triassic mass extinction”

Where we are in the era “The Earth before us”

Your turn

Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________

  1. When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:

  2. Tell it in your own words: what happened?

  3. Draw the scene below.

storiascopio.com/en/event/the-great-permian-extinction/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class