Triassic-jurassic extinction

AROUND 201 MILLION YEARS AGO

Species made extinct 80%

During a time when dinosaurs had begun to dominate the world, the Triassic Period erupted in new and diverse life. Unfortunately, what may have also erupted was many more volcanoes. Although it remains unclear exactly why this fourth mass extinction occurred, it’s thought that massive volcanic activity occurred in an area of the world now covered by the Atlantic Ocean. Similar to the Permian extinction, volcanoes released enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, forcing climate change and devastating life on Earth. Global temperatures increased, ice melted and sea levels rose and acidified. As a result, many marine and land species became extinct, including large prehistoric crocodiles and some flying pterosaurs. There are alternative theories that suggest rising carbon dioxide levels released trapped methane from permafrost, which would have resulted in a similar series of events that led to this mass extinction.

Ticinosuchus was one of many species to go extinct at the start of the Jurassic Period