The mass extinction at the end of the Permian period, was the most devastating catastrophe to ever affect our Earth. More than 95% of all life disappeared in the endless night of extinction It started with giant lava flows in what is now Siberia. The heat and gases from the vents killed off all reptiles and amphibians for miles around. Forests were incinerated. Animals burnt to grotesque skeletons. The volcanic gases spread over the world and dumped sulfur, phosphorus, and carbon into the oceans, releasing deadly compounds such sulfur dioxide and hydrochloride killing most of the marine life. These noxious chemicals also turned the sky green and the water purple. The only organisms that benefited from this disaster were bacteria that fed on nickel and released deadly hydrogen compounds that further killed off most life. This extinction is sometimes called the great dying.
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| The Siberian Traps, deadly eruptions that killed off 95% of all life |
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