W hatever happened at the end of the Permian Period nearly wiped out all life on Earth. Over ninety percent of ocean-dwelling species perished. Seventy percent of land species died off. It was Armageddon. It may have been fast, too.
Some scientists disagree, arguing that it took half a million years.
The Permian ended 251 million years ago, at the same time the huge Siberian flood basalts formed. These lava flows are not quite as voluminous as the Deccan lavas that erupted at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. Their volume is a mere 1.5 million cubic kilometers versus 8 million for the Deccan. Nevertheless, if spread evenly on the surface of the Earth, they would make a layer about 30 centimeters thick. You'd be up to your knees in lava.