Periodicity of extinctions in the geologic past. | Zendy

David M. Raup | Zendy; J. John Sepkoski | Zendy

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Periodicity of extinctions in the geologic past.

Author(s) -

David M. Raup,

J. John Sepkoski

Publication year - 1984

Publication title -

proceedings of the national academy of sciences

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011

H-Index - 771

eISSN - 1091-6490

pISSN - 0027-8424

DOI - 10.1073/pnas.81.3.801

Subject(s) - extinction event , extinction (optical mineralogy) , paleontology , marine invertebrates , cretaceous , fossil record , phanerozoic , extraterrestrial life , geology , invertebrate , series (stratigraphy) , ecology , astrobiology , biology , biological dispersal , cenozoic , demography , structural basin , population , sociology

The temporal distribution of the major extinctions over the past 250 million years has been investigated statistically using various forms of time series analysis. The analyzed record is based on variation in extinction intensity for fossil families of marine vertebrates, invertebrates, and protozoans and contains 12 extinction events. The 12 events show a statistically significant periodicity (P less than 0.01) with a mean interval between events of 26 million years. Two of the events coincide with extinctions that have been previously linked to meteorite impacts (terminal Cretaceous and Late Eocene). Although the causes of the periodicity are unknown, it is possible that they are related to extraterrestrial forces (solar, solar system, or galactic).

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