Recently archaeologists have made many discoveries. According to new research, the extinction of terrestrial animals, including waterfalls, reptiles, mammals and birds, follows a cycle that lasts about 27 million years. Interestingly, this mass extinction cycle coincides with the previously announced mass extinctions of marine life. The study found that mass extinctions coincide with significant asteroid impacts and volcanic eruptions on Earth.
There are five major mass extinction events in the fossil record. Among those mass extinctions were one at the end of the Ordovician period 443 million years ago, one at the end of the Denovian period 360 million years ago, one at the end of the Permian period 250 million years ago, one at the end of the Triassic period 201 million years ago, and one at the end of the Cretaceous 65 million years ago.
Other minor destructive events occurred in the ions. Statistical analysis performed during the study of the extinction of terrestrial species suggests events following a cycle every 27.5 million years. The authors of the study compare the age of the catastrophic events created by asteroids and comets or massive volcanic eruptions or continuous eruptions and continuous eruptions emitting greenhouse gases on land and volcanic atmosphere.
The researchers say that the new findings add credibility to the notion of global catastrophic events from time to time as catalysts for destruction. In addition to the asteroid and comet impacts, the extinction on land and in the oceans coincides with the time of the flood-basalt eruption, the researchers said. The release of toxic gases into the atmosphere over these last several thousand years leads to extreme warming and the gases are washed into the ocean, acidifying the ocean.
This study does not provide a definitive explanation of what constitutes occasional mass destruction events. One controversial theory is that a co-star with the Sun in a massive orbit stirs comets and blows on Earth every 26 million years. Flood-basalt eruptions every 25 to 30 million years can be caused by long cycles in the Earth’s mantle.