TriasJuraAussterbens

The TriasJuraAussterbens, also known as the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event, was a major extinction event that occurred approximately 201.3 million years ago, marking the boundary between the Triassic and Jurassic periods. It was one of the five largest mass extinction events in Earth's history.

The event led to the extinction of a significant portion of terrestrial and marine species. In the oceans, marine reptiles, ammonoids, bivalves, and gastropods suffered heavy losses. On land, many crocodilians, synapsids (non-dinosaurian archosaurs), and large amphibians disappeared. However, the extinction event did not affect all life forms equally. Dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and early mammals, which were relatively less diverse and abundant at the time, survived and subsequently diversified to dominate the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

The primary cause of the TriasJuraAussterbens is widely believed to be massive volcanic activity associated with the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea and the formation of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP). The immense outpouring of lava and gases, including significant amounts of carbon dioxide, likely led to rapid and drastic climate change, including widespread global warming, ocean acidification, and ozone depletion. These environmental stressors would have overwhelmed the adaptive capacities of many species, leading to their demise. Other proposed contributing factors include sea-level fluctuations and asteroid impacts, though volcanic activity is the most strongly supported hypothesis.