Carl

EARTH'S DISASTER CYCLES PART 2 EARTH HAS BEEN THROUGH CHANGES THAT MAKE OUR WORST DISASTERS LOOK SUPER SMALL When we look back through Earth's history, one thing becomes obvious to me. The planet we live on today is not the planet that has always existed. Around 717 million years ago, Earth entered an ice age so severe that ice may have covered nearly the entire planet. These conditions lasted for tens of millions of years. Around 252 million years ago, the largest known mass extinction devastated life on Earth. Vast volcanic eruptions in what is now Siberia helped drive extreme environmental changes. An estimated 80 90% of marine species disappeared. Around 201 million years ago, another major extinction coincided with enormous volcanic activity as the supercontinent Pangaea began breaking apart. Then, 66 million years ago, an asteroid struck what is now Mexico, helping bring an end to the dinosaurs that weren't birds. These events weren't all caused by the same thing. Obviously right. That's what makes the record so interesting. Asteroid impacts, volcanic eruptions, shifting continents, changes in the oceans, and major climate transitions have all changed life on Earth. Between these enormous disruptions were periods when conditions remained comparatively stable for millions of years. I'm interested in what happens between those two states. Does geological activity sometimes cluster together? Do major changes in the oceans and atmosphere follow other disturbances? Are there repeating patterns buried in the dates? The answers aren't always straightforward, but the physical evidence is there to examine. Earth has experienced repeated periods of ridiculous environmental change. The question to me is whether those events are completely independent or whether some are connected through larger processes we are only beginning to understand. AKA - cycles of disaster.