Triassic–Jurassic extinction event

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/triassic-jurassic-extinction-event

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary driver?Massive volcanism associated with the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP)
2. What is the major taxonomic groups affected?Conodonts, many marine reptiles, large amphibians, non-dinosaurian archosaurs, and synapsids
3. What happened during the Great Dinosaur Shake-Up?The Great Dinosaur Shake-Up happened about 201 million years ago when many animals, including dinosaurs, went extinct. It was caused by huge volcanic eruptions that changed the climate and oceans. This event marked the end of the Triassic period and the start of the Jurassic period.
4. Why did so many dinosaurs disappear during that time?Many dinosaurs disappeared because the volcanic eruptions released gases that made the Earth very hot and acidic. The hot air and acid rain hurt plants and animals, and the oceans became too acidic for many sea creatures. With food and homes gone, many species could not survive.

Pangaea: A supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, which began to break apart during the Triassic.
Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP): One of the largest continental flood basalt provinces in Earth's history, linked to the Triassic-Jurassic extinction.
Archosaurs: A group of reptiles that includes crocodiles, dinosaurs, birds, and pterosaurs.