Extinction Event

paleontology · earth-history · biodiversity · survival

Mass disappearances. An extinction event happens when way more species die out than usual, all within a relatively short time. It's like nature's reset button getting pressed hard.

Speed matters most. What makes an extinction event special is how fast it happens, not just how many species vanish. Scientists spot them by looking for a sudden drop in the variety and number of living things in rock layers.

Comparing the rates. Normally, some species go extinct and new ones evolve to replace them, which balances out pretty well. But during an extinction event, extinction happens way faster than new species can evolve, so biodiversity plummets.

Life bounces back. After extinction events, the planet eventually recovers with new species, but it can take millions of years. These dramatic reshuffles have shaped which animals and plants live on Earth today.