Timeline: the mass extinctions

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the first mass extinction

444 million years ago
Ordovician Extinction
a massive glacier caused a huge build-up of water.
corals, shelled brachiopods, eel-like creatures called conodonts, and trilobites.

Period: 10 to 15

the second mass extinction

389-359 million years ago
Late Devonian Extinction
High levels of lead, arsenic, and iron which was caused by an oceanic volcanism

shelled brachiopods, eel-like creatures called conodonts, the trilobites, and ancient shelled relatives of squid and octopuses called goniatites

Period: 20 to 25

the third mass extinction

252 million years ago
Permian-triassic Extinction
the Siberian traps, which are an immense volcanic complex
Only 5% of the population of life on Earth survived and 95% perished from massive drought, lack of oxygen and acid rain

Period: 30 to 35

the fourth mass extinction

201 million years ago
Late Triassic Extinction
volcanic eruptions and asteroid impacts led to insurmountable climate change
Around 80% of living creatures, including reptiles died and dinosaurs, with some 20% of the animals that became extinct sea-based lifeforms.

Period: 40 to 45

the fifth mass extinction

66 million years ago
Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction.
a huge asteroid hit earth

Some 76 percent of all species on the planet, including all nonavian dinosaurs,

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