How the Carnian Pluvial Event forever change the course of life on Earth, the latest episode in our Earth History series. Discover our full back catalogue of hundreds of videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@astrumspaceFor early access videos, bonus content, and to support the channel, join us on Patreon: https://astrumspace.info/4ayJJuZ
Full Episode
In the centre of the arid and ancient supercontinent Pangea, thousands of miles away from the sea, our time-travelling aliens have returned to witness a key moment in Earth's history. As they arrived, the rain began to fall. Just off Pangea's west coast, in what is now Canada, epoch-ending volcanic activity sent off a chain of events that all but made this downpour inevitable.
It would never look the same, because this was the start of a reign that wouldn't abate for over 1 million years. A reign that changed the course of life on Earth. A reign that allowed the dinosaurs to take over the world in an evolutionary coup.
What's all the more surprising to me, and to our aliens who witness life on Earth develop, is that the kind of event that caused this rain is, ordinarily, the most reliable and powerful extinction event the world has ever known. But this one was different. one that takes the butterfly effect to its limits.
Imagine, if a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a tornado 1,000 miles away, what does an eruption 100 times larger than a supervolcano cause? I'm Alex McColgan, and you're watching Astrum.
Join me today as we discover how an extinction-level event 230 million years ago increased the richness of life on Earth and accelerated the evolution of the dinosaurs, learning as we move through Earth's major cycles how burning fossil fuels contributed to climate change way ahead of the industrial revolution. What came before the rain?
Pangaea was the largest continent that has ever existed on Earth by a long way, a record not likely to ever be beaten given it was the size of every current continent combined. Its huge size meant that the centre was far removed from coastal climates and therefore received very little rain, favouring the evolution of species that required less water to survive.
During this dry period around 300 million years ago, in the Carboniferous period, several species emerged that are still important today, including dragonflies, millipedes, and spiders. Throughout this period, the diapsids also exploded, a group containing lizards and snakes as well as archosaurs. Now, you may not know that name, but you certainly know what this group contains.
Crocodiles, birds, and yes, eventually dinosaurs. But we'll come back to those later. If you've seen our previous episodes on ancient Earth, you'll know that it was a tumultuous and unforgiving place, with impending threats left, right and centre. And above and below for that matter.
While asteroids smashing into the crust better grab the attention of Hollywood, it's under the crust where the real danger has always been, and it's here that we will find answers to what caused a million year storm.
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