When life nearly died
Subtitle: the greatest mass extinction of all time
By: Michael J. Benton.
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Published: 2003
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 336
Subjects: Extinction (Biology) -- History.; Catastrophes (Geology); Geology, Stratigraphic -- Permian.
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. Far less well-known is a much greater catastrophe that took place at the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago: at least 90 percent of life was destroyed, both on land and in the sea. ... This book documents not only what happened during this gigantic mass extinction but also the recent rekindling of the idea of catastrophism."--Page [2] of jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 318-328) and index.