The dynamics of marine stepwise mass extinction

• Kauffman, Erle G. ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Colorado      
• Localización: Spanish journal of palaeontology, ISSN 2255-0550, Vol. 3, Nº. 2, 1988 (Ejemplar dedicado a: REVISTA ESPAÑOLA DE PALEONTOLOGÍA), págs. 57-71
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Mass extinction is characterized by the loss of 50 - 90 + percent of genetically and ecologically diverse species within 1 - 3.5 Myr intervals. Three conflicting theories exist: (1) Graded Mass Extinction; (2) Stepwise Mass Extinction; and (3) Catastrophic Mass Extinction. These can only be adequately tested with high resolution (cm-scale) stratigraphic data spanning the entire mass extinction interval and adjacent strata. Such data are presently available only for the Eocene-Oligocene (E-O), Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) and Cenomanian-Turonian (C-T) extinctions. In general, prevalent uniformitarian stratigraphic philosophy and use of the modern Earth/Life system as a model for the Phanerozoic has hindered the search for, and expectations of, high-resolution stratigraphic data critical) to mass extinction research. The modern Earth/Life "model" predicts highly variable, environmentally and biologically resilient systems and predominantly autocyclic stratigraphic response to large-scale forcing mechanisms.