Download Permian Extinction Activity 2021

Possible Causes of the Permian
Extinction
Asteroid or Comet Impact
Most experts agree that a massive object from outer space
struck Earth near the Yucatan Peninsula at the close of the
Cretaceous, ending the reign of the dinosaurs. Did an
asteroid or icy comet also cause the Permian extinction 185
million years earlier? Here's the doomsday scenario: An
impact triggers earthquakes, tsunamis, and a shockwave of
heat, incinerating the surrounding landscape. Hot debris
from the impact rains down over a wide region, igniting
wildfires that burn for weeks on end. More importantly, the
airborne dust and gases from the impact and the fires filter
out sunlight for months, shutting down photosynthesis and
dramatically cooling the Earth. The cold period is followed by
extreme heat, as the skies clear of dust particles yet remain
full of greenhouse gases. The extreme climatic shifts
devastate life around the globe.
Permian Extinction Formats- Cause 1
a. The 6 word poem: short, sweet, to the point. Make every word count!
Example: “Dear Spring, Kindly release my sinuses.”
b. A tweet: 140 characters is all you’re allowed!
c. A movie title: Imagine this disaster was made into a movie- create the title
and a hook or tagline to get people to see it.
d. write a 2 sentence obituary (I know, its short!) that describes how this disaster
caused the demise of the very last trilobite to swim the planet.
e. Recipe for disaster: instead of a little sugar and flour making a cake, what are
your ingredients for this mess?
f. #hashtagsomethingtodowithculprit
Volcanism
At the end of the Permian, over about one million years, a
series of eruptions inundated an area the size of the
continental U.S. with layer upon layer of lava and ash,
leaving deposits up to four miles thick across what is
today Siberia. In total, nearly a million cubic miles of
magma was unleashed. In addition to the Permian
wipeout, half-a-dozen extinction events in the past 250
million years are contemporaneous with similar but
smaller-scale volcanism. Coincidence? Here's how
eruptions could kill life far and wide: First, sulfurous gas
and dust circle the Earth, blocking sunlight and creating
storms of acid rain. Then years of cold are followed by
decades of unbearable warming, as carbon dioxide and
methane linger in the atmosphere.
Permian Extinction Formats- Cause 2
B. The 6 word poem: short, sweet, to the point. Make every word count!
Example: “Dear Spring, Kindly release my sinuses.”
C. A tweet: 140 characters is all you’re allowed!
D. A movie title: Imagine this disaster was made into a movie- create the title and
a hook or tagline to get people to see it.
E. write a 2 sentence obituary (I know, its short!) that describes how this disaster
caused the demise of the very last trilobite to swim the planet.
F. Recipe for disaster: instead of a little sugar and flour making a cake, what are
your ingredients for this mess?
A. #hashtagsomethingtodowithculprit
Formation of Supercontinent
Earth's landmasses slowly move to shape new continents
through time. Geologists in the 1970s devised this
extinction scenario: the formation of the supercontinent
Pangea (or "all Earth") decimates life in two ways. First,
as species on separate landmasses and in different waters
come together, they compete for resources, and the losing
species die out. Second, Pangea's creation affects regional
and global climates. Once-warm waters become
intolerably cold. The vast interior of the continent
experiences wild seasonal swings (think Siberia but
worse). In short, most species face new stresses, and as
some perish, the effect ripples through the web of life,
killing many others. Since the 1970s, though, evidence
has mounted that Pangea formed in the middle of the
Permian, not at its end.
Permian Extinction Formats- Cause 3
c. The 6 word poem: short, sweet, to the point. Make every word count!
Example: “Dear Spring, Kindly release my sinuses.”
d. A tweet: 140 characters is all you’re allowed!
e. A movie title: Imagine this disaster was made into a movie- create the title and a
hook or tagline to get people to see it.
f. write a 2 sentence obituary (I know, its short!) that describes how this disaster
caused the demise of the very last trilobite to swim the planet.
a. Recipe for disaster: instead of a little sugar and flour making a cake, what are
your ingredients for this mess?
B. #hashtagsomethingtodowithculprit
Glaciation
Global cooling and the spread of gargantuan glaciers
likely caused the second largest mass extinction in
Earth's history, the Ordovician, which took place 439
million years ago. Was it behind the Permian wipeout
as well? Here's the picture: Growing glaciers pull water
from the ocean and reduce the area of shallow
continental shelves, which are home to the greatest
diversity of marine plants and animals. Species
compete fiercely for resources, and many lose out. On
land, with giant glaciers encroaching, species unable to
migrate toward proverbial greener pastures also
perish. Geologists have found evidence in rock
deposits throughout Europe and Asia, however, that
sea level at the end of the Permian was rising, casting
doubt on this theory.
Permian Extinction Formats- Cause 4
d. The 6 word poem: short, sweet, to the point. Make every word count!
Example: “Dear Spring, Kindly release my sinuses.”
e. A tweet: 140 characters is all you’re allowed!
f. A movie title: Imagine this disaster was made into a movie- create the title and a
hook or tagline to get people to see it.
a. write a 2 sentence obituary (I know, its short!) that describes how this disaster
caused the demise of the very last trilobite to swim the planet.
b. Recipe for disaster: instead of a little sugar and flour making a cake, what are
your ingredients for this mess?
c. #hashtagsomethingtodowithculprit
Anoxic Oceans and Bacteria
The deep ocean as well as shallow marine habitats
appear to have had low oxygen levels at the end of
the Permian. This condition, called anoxia, could have
been the linchpin in the extinction tale. For most
marine life, the anoxia would have meant suffocation.
But other life—particularly anaerobic bacteria that
give off hydrogen sulfide—would have thrived. The
hydrogen sulfide would have spread through the
oceans, killing more species, and as it slowly fizzed
out into the atmosphere, it would have poisoned life
on land as well. Hydrogen sulfide in the atmosphere
then would have damaged the ozone layer, opening
paths for deadly ultraviolet radiation to reach the
remaining life on Earth.
Permian Extinction Formats- Cause 5
e. The 6 word poem: short, sweet, to the point. Make every word count!
Example: “Dear Spring, Kindly release my sinuses.”
f. A tweet: 140 characters is all you’re allowed!
a. A movie title: Imagine this disaster was made into a movie- create the title and a
hook or tagline to get people to see it.
b. write a 2 sentence obituary (I know, its short!) that describes how this disaster
caused the demise of the very last trilobite to swim the planet.
c. Recipe for disaster: instead of a little sugar and flour making a cake, what are
your ingredients for this mess?
d. #hashtagsomethingtodowithculprit
Methane Gas
Today, sediments on continental shelves contain vast
amounts of methane, just as they did during the
Permian. Some climate scientists fear that our
present-day warming oceans could eventually release
this methane into the atmosphere, with cataclysmic
consequences. Methane, besides being toxic to most
organisms, is also a potent greenhouse gas. At the
end of the Permian, a great outpouring of methane
could have caused runaway global warming and
ended much of life on the planet. Even if this scenario
turns out to be false, it holds a cautionary tale about
how moderate global warming could suddenly turn
severe.
Permian Extinction Formats- Cause 6
f. The 6 word poem: short, sweet, to the point. Make every word count!
Example: “Dear Spring, Kindly release my sinuses.”
a. A tweet: 140 characters is all you’re allowed!
b. A movie title: Imagine this disaster was made into a movie- create the title and a
hook or tagline to get people to see it.
c. write a 2 sentence obituary (I know, its short!) that describes how this disaster
caused the demise of the very last trilobite to swim the planet.
d. Recipe for disaster: instead of a little sugar and flour making a cake, what are
your ingredients for this mess?
e. #hashtagsomethingtodowithculprit