When life nearly died : the greatest mass extinction of all time / / Michael J. Benton

• Autore: Benton M. J (Michael J.)
• Pubblicazione: London : , : Thames & Hudson, , 2015
• Edizione: Revised edition.
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (352 pages) : illustrations, maps
• Disciplina: 576.8/4
• Soggetto topico: Extinction (Biology) - History; Catastrophes (Geology); Geology, Stratigraphic - Permian
• Note generali: Previous edition: 2003.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-341) and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Geological timescale -- Antediluvian Sauria --Murchison names the Permian -- The death of catastrophism -- The concept that dared not speak its name -- Impact! -- Diversity, extinction and mass extinction -- Homing in on the event -- Life's biggest challenge -- A tale of two continents -- On the river Sakmara -- What caused the biggest catastrophe of all time? -- Recovery from the brink -- The sixth mass extinction?
• Sommario/riassunto: It is common knowledge that the dinosaurs were wiped out by a meteorite impact 65 million years ago that killed half of all species then living, but far less well-known is a much greater catastrophe that took place 251 million years ago: at least 90 per cent of life was destroyed, including sabre-toothed reptiles and their rhinoceros-sized prey, as well as vast numbers of fish and other species in the sea. This book documents not only what happened during this gigantic mass extinction, but also the recent reviving of the idea of catastrophism. Was the end-Permian event caused by the impact of a huge meteorite or comet, or by prolonged volcanic eruption in Siberia? The evidence has been accumulating through the 1990s and into the new millennium, and Michael Benton gives his verdict at the end of the volume. From field camps in Greenland and Russia to the laboratory bench, When Life Nearly Died involves geologists, palaeontologists, environmental modellers, geochemists, astronomers and experts on biodiversity and conservation. Their working methods are vividly described and explained, and the current disputes are revealed. The implications of our understanding of crises in the past for the current biodiversity crisis are also presented in detail.
• Titolo autorizzato: When life nearly died
• ISBN: 0-500-77319-X
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Record Nr.: 9910820540503321
• Lo trovi qui: Univ. Federico II