Memorial researchers discover that the first animal extinction event was bigger than the end of dinosaurs
Ref. no.: 135
When we think about extinction events, the meteor that ended the reign of dinosaurs is the first to come to mind. However, many significant extinction events have occurred throughout Earth’s long history.
Newly published data in by researchers from Memorial University suggests that an extinction event known as the Kotlin Crisis, which occurred 550 million years ago, was the first extinction event that animals ever experienced – and the supporting data was collected here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Until now, the geology community believed the number of species lost during the Kotlin Crisis was less than the minimum criteria for formally considering it a mass extinction event. However, the work of Drs. Steven Denyszyn and Duncan McIlroy, in the department of geology at Memorial, indicates otherwise.
Their finding comes from an exceptionally well-preserved and highly diverse fossil assemblage site located in Upper Island Cove. Volcanic ash overlying the fossils at this site was dated at Memorial University by Dr. Denyszyn, showing that the fossils were 551 million years old – that is 13 million years younger than other Avalon assemblage faunas.
“Showing that the Avalon assemblage of fossils ranged right up to the extinction event at 550 million years ago was a complete surprise to us all” says Dr. Denyszyn.
With the extended date ranges of fossils at the Inner Meadow fossil site, the percentage of known macro-organisms that went extinct at the Kotlin Crisis event is now considered to be around 80 per cent, making it a very significant event in the history of animal life.
Species in the Avalon assemblage include “proto-animals” like and that thrived in the deep dark waters around the ancient continent of Avalonia alongside the oldest true animals such as .
Dr. Duncan McIlroy is the lead researcher on the project, and says “the utopia of the earliest communities of proto-animals in the Avalon assemblage was overturned at the Kotlin Crisis, setting the stage for the proliferation of modern type animals; the survivors of the extinction event.
Dr. McIlroy is hosting a public lecture, "The First Extinction of Animals: The story from the Ediacaran at Inner Meadow, CBN" at Johnson Geo Centre on Wednesday, April 15, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
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Dr. Duncan McIlroy is available for interview. For more information or to request an interview, contact Nicole Squires, Communications Advisor, Faculty of Science, n.squires@mun.ca