When life nearly died
Subtitle: the greatest mass extinction of all time
By: Michael J. Benton
Edition: Revised and expanded edition.
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 352
ISBN-13: 9780500291931
Subjects: Catastrophes (Geology); Extinction (Biology); Stratigraphic Geology; History
Description: "Today it is common knowledge that the dinosaurs were wiped out by a meteorite impact 65 million years ago that killed half of all species then living. It is far less widely understood that a much greater catastrophe took place at the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago: at least ninety percent of life on earth was destroyed. When Life Nearly Died documents not only what happened during this gigantic mass extinction but also the recent renewal of the idea of catastrophism: the theory that changes in the earth's crust were brought about suddenly in the past by phenomena that cannot be observed today. Was the end-Permian event caused by the impact of a huge meteorite or comet, or by prolonged volcanic eruption in Siberia? The evidence has been accumulating, and Michael J. Benton gives his verdict at the end of the volume. The new edition brings the study of the greatest mass extinction of all time thoroughly up-to-date. In the twelve years since the book was originally published, hundreds of geologists and paleontologists have been investigating all aspects of how life could be driven to the brink of annihilation, and especially how life recovered afterwards, providing the foundations of modern ecosystems."--Publisher's web site.
Notes: "Reprinted with revisons, 2015 " --T.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-341) and index.
Table of contents: title: Geological timescale; title: Antediluvian Sauria; title: Murchison names the Permian; title: The death of catastrophism; title: The concept that dared not speak its name; title: Impact!; title: Diversity, extinction and mass extinction; title: Homing in on the event; title: Life's biggest challenge; title: A tale of two continents; title: On the river Sakmara; title: What caused the biggest catastrophe of all time?; title: Recovery from the brink; title: The sixth mass extinction?