Science Daily·4 min read·hard
Ancient ferns turned Triassic Europe into a wildfire inferno
✦AI Summary
New research indicates that the end-Triassic mass extinction was exacerbated by widespread wildfires fueled by the rapid expansion of ferns. Scientists used new methods, including analyzing organic microfossil color changes, to track fire activity during this period of global warming.
The end-Triassic mass extinction struck about 201 million years ago and has been tied to enormous volcanic eruptions associated with the break-up of Pangea. Those eruptions released vast quantities of CO2 into the atmosphere, driving global temperatures up by an estimated 5 to 10 degrees Celsius.
scienceenvironmentclimate
✦
Get the full story
Sign up for Headlinne to unlock AI insights, political bias analysis, and your personalized news feed.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in