Period or supereon
|
Extinction
|
Date
|
Probable causes
[2]
|
Quaternary
|
Holocene extinction
|
c. 10,000 BC ? Ongoing
|
Humans
[3]
|
Quaternary extinction event
|
640,000, 74,000, and
13,000 years ago
|
Unknown; may include
climate changes
,
massive volcanic eruptions
and
Humans
(largely by human overhunting)
[4]
[5]
[6]
|
Neogene
|
Pliocene?Pleistocene boundary extinction
|
2 Ma
|
Possible causes include a
supernova
[7]
[8]
or the
Eltanin impact
[9]
[10]
|
Middle Miocene disruption
|
14.5 Ma
|
Climate change
due to change of ocean circulation patterns.
Milankovitch cycles
may have also contributed
[11]
|
Paleogene
|
Eocene?Oligocene extinction event
|
33.9 Ma
|
Multiple causes including
global cooling
, polar glaciation, falling sea levels, and the
Popigai impactor
[12]
|
Cretaceous
|
Cretaceous?Paleogene extinction event
|
66 Ma
|
Chicxulub impactor
; the
volcanism
which resulted in the formation of the
Deccan Traps
may have contributed.
[13]
|
Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event
|
94 Ma
|
Most likely underwater volcanism associated with the
Caribbean large igneous province
, which would have caused global warming and acidic oceans
[14]
|
Aptian extinction
|
117 Ma
|
Unknown, but may be due to volcanism of the
Rajmahal Traps
[15]
|
Jurassic
|
End-Jurassic (Tithonian)
|
145 Ma
|
No longer regarded as a major extinction but rather a series of lesser events due to bolide impacts, eruptions of flood basalts, climate change and disruptions to oceanic systems
[16]
|
Pliensbachian-Toarcian extinction
(
Toarcian turnover
)
|
186-178 Ma
|
Formation of the
Karoo-Ferrar Igneous Provinces
[17]
|
Triassic
|
Triassic?Jurassic extinction event
|
201 Ma
|
Possible causes include gradual climate changes, volcanism from the
Central Atlantic magmatic province
[18]
or an impactor
[19]
|
Carnian Pluvial Event
|
230 Ma
|
Wrangellia flood basalts
,
[20]
or the uplift of the
Cimmerian orogeny
|
Olenekian-Anisian boundary event
|
247 Ma
|
Ocean acidification
[21]
|
Smithian-Spathian boundary event
|
249 Ma
|
Late eruptions of the Siberian Traps
|
Griesbachian-Dienerian boundary-event
|
252
|
Late eruptions of the Siberian Traps
[22]
|
Permian
|
Permian?Triassic extinction event
|
252 Ma
|
Large igneous province (LIP) eruptions
[23]
from the
Siberian Traps
,
[24]
an impact event (the
Wilkes Land Crater
),
[25]
an
Anoxic event
,
[26]
an
Ice age
,
[27]
or other possible causes
|
End-Capitanian extinction event
|
260 Ma
|
Volcanism from the
Emeishan Traps
,
[28]
resulting in global cooling and other effects
|
Olson's Extinction
|
270 Ma
|
Unknown. Possibly a change in climate.
|
Carboniferous
|
Carboniferous rainforest collapse
|
305 Ma
|
Possiblities include a series of rapid changes in climate, or volcanism of the
Skagerrak-Centered Large Igneous Province
[29]
|
Serpukhovian extinction
|
~ 325 Ma
|
Onset of the
Late Paleozoic icehouse
|
Devonian
|
Hangenberg event
|
359 Ma
|
Anoxia, possibly related to the
Famennian
glaciation or volcanic activity, Supernova
[30]
|
Late Devonian extinction
(Kellwasser event)
|
372 Ma
|
Viluy Traps
;
[31]
Woodleigh Impactor
?
[2]
|
Taghanic Event
|
~384 Ma
|
Anoxia
|
Ka?ak Event
|
~388 Ma
|
Anoxia
|
Silurian
|
Lau event
|
420 Ma
|
Changes in sea level and chemistry?
[32]
|
Mulde event
|
424 Ma
|
Global drop in sea level?
[33]
|
Ireviken event
|
428 Ma
|
Deep-ocean anoxia;
[34]
Milankovitch cycles
?
[35]
|
Ordovician
|
Late Ordovician mass extinction
|
445-444 Ma
|
Global cooling and sea level drop, and/or
global warming
related to
volcanism
and
anoxia
[36]
|
Cambrian
|
Cambrian?Ordovician extinction event
|
488 Ma
|
Kalkarindji
Large Igneous Province
?
[37]
|
Dresbachian extinction event
|
502 Ma
|
|
End-Botomian extinction event
|
517 Ma
|
|
Precambrian
|
End-Ediacaran extinction
|
542 Ma
|
Anoxic event
[38]
|
Great Oxygenation Event
|
2400 Ma
|
Rising oxygen levels in the atmosphere due to the development of
photosynthesis
as well as possible
Snowball Earth
event. (see:
Huronian glaciation
.)
|