Geology - General & Miscellaneous, Stratigraphic Geology

When Life Nearly Died

Name: When Life Nearly Died
Author: Michael J. Benton
ISBN: 9780500051160

by Benton, Michael J.

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Overview

"Today 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. Far less well-known is a much greater catastrophe that took place at the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago: at least 90 percent of life was destroyed, both on land and in the sea." "This book documents not only what happened during this gigantic mass extinction but also the recent rekindling of the idea of catastrophism. Scientists have at last come to accept that the world has been subject to huge cataclysms in the past." This is an insider's account, from the geologists' field camps in Greenland and Russia to the laboratory bench, of how a panoply of scientists are pursuing a major interdisciplinary goal. Their working methods are described and explained, and the current disputes are revealed. As Michael Benton shows, the implications for today's biodiversity crisis of understanding crises millions of years ago are relevant for us all.

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Editorials

Library Journal

A meteor striking Earth 65 million years ago is now held as a plausible explanation for the demise of the dinosaurs. But what caused events like the Permian extinction 251 million years ago, often considered the most devastating of the five big extinctions, when an estimated 90 percent of all life disappeared from the planet? Paleontologist Benton sets out to unravel this puzzle, building his case by beginning with the history of geology and modern improvements in the ability to analyze information from the fossil record. He contrasts a comprehensive picture of living sea and land organisms with life just after the extinction. In the final chapters, he offers his explanations for the extinction ("a combination of volcanic activity and a release of gas hydrates...produced a devastating cascade of acid rains, global warming, land weathering, ocean stagnation, and marine anoxia"). The author covers a lot of information, but he connects it all in a readable and interesting way, while striving to present a balanced and open-ended viewpoint. For public and academic libraries.-Kimberly Megginson, DeWitt Medical Lib., Ft. Belvoir, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.