Essay On Pangaea

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The Formation of Pangaea
One theory, which explains the mass extinctions of the Permian, is the reduction of shallow continental shelves due to the formation of the super-continent Pangaea. Pangaea at the time of the Permian extinction extended from pole to pole. It was formed about 300,000 million years ago by the collision of Laurasia from the north and Gondwana from the south. The super ocean Panthalasa surrounded it. The theory of the formation of Pangaea and the mass extinction occurred over 250 million years ago. The Pangaea theory states that all present continents were once together and collectively known as a super continent. The Pangaea was integrated at the beginning of the Permian time, and reached its acme during the late Permian to early Triassic. During this time the average thickness of a continental lithosphere was higher, and all oceans gathered to form Panthalasa. The peak of Pangaea and Panthalasa was a period of high continent and deep ocean, which unavoidably makes great regression and influence on the earths system especially climate. As mentioned above, during the formation of Pangaea there was reduction of shallow continental shelves. Such a reduction in oceanic continental shelve would result in ecological competition for space, perhaps acting as an agent for extinction. Pangaea broke up about 200 million years ago, and the split up pieces is what are earth is now. At the time of the mass extinction, Pangaea created glaciation, produced change in regional and global climates and caused marine deterioration. Overall this theory of Pangaea is sustainable, due to the fact that it happened during the early and middle Permian period.
Glaciation
During the time of the Permian extinction Pangaea stretched...

... middle of paper ...

...the world. The combination of sulphates in the atmosphere and the ejection of ash clouds may have lowered global climatic conditions. As a result of all of these things happening the ocean levels changed drastically, which killed marine life and reduced biodiversity. Volcanic eruptions and decaying organic matter brought on severe greenhouse warming. According to Red Orbit a team concluded that the volcanic activity was most likely episodic. This would create pulses of acid rain and ozone depletion. Combined with an overall temperature increase from greenhouse gas emissions, the extreame variations in pH and ultraviolet radiation that were a result of the episodic activity could have contributed to the end-Permian mass extinction on land. The age of the lava flows has also been dated to the time in which the Permian mass extinction occurred making this theory viable.

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