The Great Dying: Earth's Largest Mass Extinction

About two hundred fifty-two million years ago, ecosystems collapsed in oceans and on land with a severity unmatched by any later mass extinction. The event is called the Great Dying, but the name can hide its most important feature. This was not one instant of disappearance. Inside this episode: - Recognizing A Biological Boundary - A Volcanic Province Of Continental Scale - Warming Multiplies Problems - Oceans Losing Breath Sources include peer-reviewed Earth-science research, official scientific institutions, and the episode's linked source record. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow Earth Before Humans for more researched journeys through deep time.