This is a list of extinction events, both mass and minor:[1]

  "Big Five" major extinction events (see graphic)
CambrianOrdovicianSilurianDevonianCarboniferousPermianTriassicJurassicCretaceousPaleogeneNeogene
Marine extinction intensity during the Phanerozoic
%
Millions of years ago
CambrianOrdovicianSilurianDevonianCarboniferousPermianTriassicJurassicCretaceousPaleogeneNeogene
The blue graph shows the apparent percentage (not the absolute number) of marine animal genera becoming extinct during any given time interval. It does not represent all marine species, just those that are readily fossilized. The labels of the traditional "Big Five" extinction events and the more recently recognised Capitanian mass extinction event are clickable links; see Extinction event for more details. (source and image info)
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
Kačák 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.)

Timeline

References

  1. ^ Partial list from Image:Extinction Intensity.png
  2. ^ a b Bond, David P. G.; Grasby, Stephen E. (2017-07-15). "On the causes of mass extinctions". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. Mass Extinction Causality: Records of Anoxia, Acidification, and Global Warming during Earth's Greatest Crises. 478: 3–29. Bibcode:2017PPP...478....3B. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.11.005. ISSN 0031-0182.
  3. ^ Ripple WJ, Wolf C, Newsome TM, Galetti M, Alamgir M, Crist E, Mahmoud MI, Laurance WF (13 November 2017). "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice". BioScience. 67 (12): 1026–1028. doi:10.1093/biosci/bix125. hdl:11336/71342. Moreover, we have unleashed a mass extinction event, the sixth in roughly 540 million years, wherein many current life forms could be annihilated or at least committed to extinction by the end of this century.
  4. ^ Sandom, Christopher; Faurby, Søren; Sandel, Brody; Svenning, Jens-Christian (4 June 2014). "Global late Quaternary megafauna extinctions linked to humans, not climate change". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 281 (1787): 20133254. doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.3254. PMC 4071532. PMID 24898370.
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  21. ^ Song, Haijun; Song, Huyue; Tong, Jinnan; Gordon, Gwyneth W.; Wignall, Paul B.; Tian, Li; Zheng, Wang; Algeo, Thomas J.; Liang, Lei; Bai, Ruoyu; Wu, Kui; Anbar, Ariel D. (2021-02-20). "Conodont calcium isotopic evidence for multiple shelf acidification events during the Early Triassic". Chemical Geology. 562: 120038. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2020.120038. ISSN 0009-2541. S2CID 233915627.
  22. ^ Hochuli, Peter A.; Sanson-Barrera, Anna; Schneebeli-Hermann, Elke; Bucher, Hugo (2016-06-24). "Severest crisis overlooked—Worst disruption of terrestrial environments postdates the Permian–Triassic mass extinction". Scientific Reports. 6 (1): 28372. Bibcode:2016NatSR...628372H. doi:10.1038/srep28372. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 4920029. PMID 27340926.
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  27. ^ Ice age, not warming, explains Permian-Triassic extinction event - UPI.com
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