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A mass extinction 233 million years ago reshaped life on Earth, allowing dinosaurs to take over, according to scientists.
The event, which has been called the Carnian Pluvial Episode, is said to have been caused by a sudden change in the weather.
A team of 17 scientists reviewed the geological and paleontological evidence, finding that massive volcanic eruptions in the west Canada they are the most likely cause of the event.
These eruptions led to large volumes of volcanic basalt rocks spilling out and forming what is now the western coast of North America.
Climate warming has been related to an increase in rainfall at that time; This was first identified as a wet event lasting one million years by geologists in the 1980s.
Despite the fact that much of life went extinct both in the ocean and on land, the event allowed dinosaurs to take over the planet; They existed 20 million years before, but they were rare and unimportant.
The researchers have also said that the event led to the formation of more modern ecosystems with coniferous forests, as well as some of the earliest mammals – turtles, crocodiles, and lizards that appeared and diversified during this time.
Professor Jacopo Dal Corso, of the China University of Geosciences in WuhanHe said: “The eruptions were so large that they pumped out huge amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, and there were spikes in global warming.”
He explained that so far, five significant mass extinctions have been identified over 500 million years of history, and said that all “have had a profound effect on the evolution of Earth and life.”
He added: “We have identified another major extinction event, and it evidently played an important role in helping to restore life on land and in the oceans, marking the origin of modern ecosystems.”
Researchers have also suggested that the Carnian Pluvial Episode affected ocean life, seeing the beginnings of modern-style coral reefs, as well as many of the modern groups of plankton.
