Mass Extinctions and Their Aftermath

by A. Hallam, Paul B. Wignall

This is the first review of all the major mass extinctions in the history of life. It covers all groups of organisms - plant, animal, terrestrial, and marine - that have gone extinct alongside the geological and sedimentological evidence for environmental changes during the biotic crises. All proposed extinction mechanisms - climate change, meteorite impact, volcanisms - are critically assessed. The demise of the dinosaurs has been amply discussed, but this is the first time that this event has been put into the proper context of other extinction events.

Genres: Science, Palaeontology, Nonfiction, Biology

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[J.M. Hushour · Rating 4 out of 5]

If trilobites and conodonts and other extinct agnathan chordates get you as giddy as Richard Simmons in a Nair factory, then you will love this book! I loved it, too, because I think mass extinctions are some of the high points in history--one of those moments when everyone left at the party looks around at each other, sifting through forgotten jackets for loose change, swilling down remaining backwash--and there's always one of you that finds the random dildo (that's a trilobite for you!)--a time of general hilarity in other words.
Not only do the authors cover the Big Five extinctions but they get into some smaller ones and some controversies. Only downside? Not enough about what was actually going extinct and the ones who thrived afterwards.

[UNCP Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative and interesting look at the science of mass extinctions, their causes and effects. This book offers photos, graphs, timelines, and charts to help visualize what scientists know about mass extinction events.