HOW DOES MODERN CLIMATE CHANGE COMPARE TO PAST VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS?
A quarter billion years ago, before the dinosaurs, was one of the most catastrophic events in Earth history. It was not a meteoroid strike or a giant earthquake, but rather a vast series of volcanic eruptions. An estimated five million cubic kilometers of igneous rock erupted into and onto what is present day Siberia. Apparently, this occurred simultaneously with a global extinction event. Far worse than the more famous end-Cretaceous extinction in which the dinosaurs succumbed, the Permian-Triassic extinction is the largest in Earth history. Approximately 70% of terrestrial species and 90% of marine species went extinct. This was almost the end of multi-cellular life of Earth and a turning point in the planet’s history. Yet their causes and even whether the volcanoes led to the extinction are not understood. More disturbing still, there are strong parallels between the events of that time and the climate change occurring today. This summer, an MIT team of 14 scientists from seven coun
