Giant Volcanic Eruptions,

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Giant Volcanic Eruptions, Asteroid Impacts,Mass
Extinctions, and the Shape of Life Paul E.
Olsen Columbia University
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3 Themes 1. The shape of life as governed by
normal Darwinian diversification and background
extinction vs. catastrophic mass extinction and
subsequent recovery. 2. The consequences of mass
extinction to ecosystem services. 3. The
extrinsic origin of mass extinctions via
planetary-scale physical catastrophes such as
giant volcanic eruptions and asteroid impacts.
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Darwin, 1959, Origin of Species, Ch. IV.
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Benton, 1995
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What is a mass extinction? It is a large number
of extinctions occurring in a geologically short
time span.
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Slipped vertebral discs Malfunction or imbalance
of hormone systems Imbalanced hormones Reduced
sexual activity because of size Change in sex
ratio because of temperature change Diminution of
sexual activity (Nopcsa, 1917) Cataract
blindness Caries, arthritis, fractures, and
infections Epidemics Parasites Change in ratio of
DNA to cell nucleus Dwindling brain Psychotic
suicidal factors Paleoweltschmerz Excessive
mutation ratelight, Racial senility Competition
with the mammals Competition with
caterpillars Overkill capacity by
predators Egg-eating by mammals Spread of
angiosperms Terminal diarrhea Terminal
constipation Loss of marsh vegetation Increase in
forestation, leading to a loss of
habitat Increase in seasonality Excessive amounts
of oxygen from photosynthesis
Climate became too dry Climate became too
wet Climate became too hot Climate became too
cold Low levels of carbon dioxide Excessively
high levels of carbon dioxide Extensive vulcanism
and the production of volcanic dust Poisoning by
selenium from volcanic lava and dust Marine
regression Marine transgression Floods Mountain
building and drainage of swamp Reduced
topographic relief Spillover of Arctic
water Fluctuation of gravitational
constants Shift of the earth's rotational
poles Extraction of the moon from the Pacific
Basin Poisoning by uranium sucked up from the
soil Entropy with increasing chaos Sunspots Cosmic
radiation and high levels of ultraviolet
radiation Destruction of the ozone layer Ionizing
radiation Electromagnetic radiation and cosmic
rays supernova Interstellar dust cloud Flash
heating of atmosphere by entry of
meteor Oscillations about the galactic plane
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The real reason dinosaurs went extinct.
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Alvarez et al., 1980
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• Alvarez Scenario
• Earth hit by 10 km asteroid
• Dust blown out of atmosphere by blast surrounds
  Earth
• Light greatly reduced shutting down
  photosynthesis
• Collapse of food chain
• Mass extinction of all animals larger than 25 kg

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The Permo-Triassic Mass Extinction
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Conodonta (Cambrian- Triassic)
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Marine Permo-Triassic (China)
Jin, Wang, Wang, Shang, Cao, Erwin, Science, 2000
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Glossopteris

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Typical Karroo Synapsids
Moschops
Kingoria
Lycaenops
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Inostrancevia and Scutosaurus by Kelly Taylor
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Permian-Triassic Boundary (Southern Africa)
Ward et al., 2005
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Luann Becker
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Basu, et al., 2003
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Skeleton of Lystrosaurus
www.sec.state.la.us/MUSEUMS/SHREVE/
DINO-6-99/catalog/20.htm
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Lystrosaurus spp.
Cosgriff, Hammer Ryan, 1982
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Thrinaxodon by John Sibbick
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Lystrosaurus and Euparkeria (Walking with
Monsters, BBC, 2005)
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Triadobatrachus
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Proterocheris talmayensis From Rougier et al, 1995
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Reconstruction of Eudimorphodon
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CRUROTARSIAN RADIATION
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CRUROTARSIAN RADIATION
Terrestrisuchus
Crocodiomorpha
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CRUROTARSIAN RADIATION
Phytosauria
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CRUROTARSIAN RADIATION
Desmatosuchus haplocerus
Aetosauria
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CRUROTARSIAN RADIATION
Rauisuchia
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CRUROTARSIAN RADIATION
Reveltosaurus
Reveltosauria
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CRUROTARSIAN RADIATION

• Effigia okeeffeae

Sterling Nesbitt, 2006
Chattergeeidae
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Vancleavea campi
Phil Bircheff, 2007
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Hypuronector
Doug Henderson
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Icarosaurus
from Gould et al., 1993
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Dromomeron romeri
Irmis Nesbitt, et al., 2007
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Coelophysis baurii
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Gojirasaurus
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Plateosaurus skeletons
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Adapted from Shubin and Sues, 1994
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Newark Supergroup
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Magellan Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mosaics
Irnini Mons
Sapas Mons
http//www.geology.pomona.edu/research/Faculty/Gro
sfils/Venus/Volcano/large_volcanoes.htm
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Fissure eruption at Krafla, Iceland, 1980 The
Miracle Planet 1989 NHK
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Eubrontes giganteus (type)
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Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill, CT
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Dilophosaurus
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Milner and Kirkland, 2007
Illust. Russell Hawley,
2006
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Ecological Release
The expansion of habitat and resource usage by
populations into areas of lower species
diversity. Ecological release results from lower
levels of interspecific competition. In
evolutionary time it results in character
release and an expansion of adaptive diversity
called an adaptive radiation.
Wilson, E. O. 1961. The nature of the taxon cycle
in the Melanesian ant fauna. Am. Nat.
95(882)169-193.
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Tertiary
Cretaceous
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DSDP Site 524
Hsü and McKenzie, 1985
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Modified from Zachos et al., 2001
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Aquilapollinites sp.
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R. H. Tschudy, C. L. Pillmore, C. J. Orth, J. S.
Gilmore, J. D. Knight, Science, 1984
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Beerling et al., 2002
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Mark Hallett
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Orlando Grillo 1997
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Sheenan et al, 2000
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Examples of K-T Glasses
Mimbral, Mexico
Bass River, NJ
Dogie Creek, WY
GSC, 2002 Bohor, 1996 Olsson, 2002
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Three-dimensional Bouguer gravity anomaly map
A perspective plot and seismic reflection data.
Geological Survey of Canada
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Modified from Walking With Dinosaurs (BBC,
1999) and When Dinosaurs Roamed America
(Discovery, 2001)
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K-T Environmental Stress Time scale Air blast
near impact site hours Heat from reentering
ejecta (melt) hours Tsunamis near impact site
hours to weeks Continent-scale wildfires days
to months Interruption of photosynthesis months
Nitric acid rain months Cooling from dust
months to years H2O greenhouse months to years
Sulfate aerosol years Destruction of ozone
layer gt decades Methane greenhouse gt
decades CO2 greenhouse gt decades Modified
from Pope et al., 1994
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Ely Kish
Early Paleocene, Wyoming
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Eocene, Western Interior (50 Ma)
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Siberian
CAMP
Deccan
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From Hames, 2003 Modified from Courtillot,
1999, from Rampino and Stothers, 1988
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Biological Insurance Hypothesis (Robert May)
Redundancy within functional groups is important
to overall ecosystem stability
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• Conclusions
• Shape of life, the diversity curve, molded by
  mass extinctions as well as diversification.
• Major mass extinctions associated with CO2 spikes
  followed by 20 m.y. of chaotic carbon-cycle
  swings until biodiversity recovers through
  evolution.
• Extrinsic catastrophes as important as adaptation
  in the history of life.
• Mass extinctions reset the evolutionary clock and
  result in ecological release triggering a burst
  of divergence.
• Anthropogenic CO2 increase and biodiversity
  crisis could lead to nasty surprises.