Overview

• The End-Triassic mass extinction occurred 201.6 million years ago, eradicating about 75% of all species.
• Previously believed to be caused by warming, new evidence points to volcanic winters as the primary driver.
• Massive Central Atlantic Magmatic Province eruptions released sulfates, blocking sunlight and cooling the planet.
• These eruptions were concentrated events, each lasting under a century, causing severe but short-lived cold spells.
• Dinosaurs, already existing in smaller forms, survived and eventually dominated due to their adaptability to the cold.