Synopses & Reviews
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: 90 percent of life was destroyed, including saber-toothed reptiles and their rhinoceros-sized prey on land, as well as vast numbers of fish and other species 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. 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 through the 1990s and into the new millennium, and Michael Benton gives his verdict at the very end. From field camps in Greenland and Russia to the laboratory bench, When Life Nearly Died involves geologists, paleontologists, environmental modelers, geochemists, astronomers, and experts on biodiversity and conservation. Their working methods are vividly described and explained, and the current disputes are revealed. The implications of our understanding of crises in the past for the current biodiversity crisis are also presented in detail. 46 b/w illustrations.
Synopsis
This book documents not only what happened during a gigantic mass extinction at the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago, but also the recent rekindling of the idea of catastrophism. 46 illustrations.
Synopsis
"Michael Benton's splendid book brings back to Earth Science a sense of adventure. . . . It is both a wonderfully good read and a valued reference." --James Lovelock, author of and
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 318-328) and index.
Synopsis
"Michael Benton's splendid book brings back to Earth Science a sense of adventure. . . . It is both a wonderfully good read and a valued reference." —James Lovelock, author of Gaia and Homage to Gaia
About the Author
Michael Benton is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Head of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. His most recent publications include Vertebrate Palaeontology and Basic Palaeontology (with David Harper); he was also editor of The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia, the first account in the West of some of the extraordinary fossils found in these regions.