TPO 39 integrated writing

The debate over what has caused a massive extinction of multiple species at the end of Triassic period has always challenged archeologists. The passage presents three potential statements supporting this debate. However, the lecture challenges these claims offering some evidences.

To start, the passage asserts that sea level fluctuation in that era could have led to destruction of coastal and shallow-ocean species. Hence, the food chains were increasingly affected. The speaker, opposes this assertion by demonstrating that when sea level fluctuation occur, coastal and shallow species usually tend to adapt with their new situation. Therefore, the change should have been too sudden in order to impact huge number of these species.

Furthermore, the author holds the opinion that because of the rise in volcanic activities in Triassic period, the atmospheric SO2 rose by a large scale which had an impact on global temperature. The lecturer disputes this claim by adding that SO2 is usually present in the atmosphere for a rather short amount of time. It usually combines with water and falls back to earth. To conclude, this could have not been the case for massive extinction in that period.

Lastly, the passage states that a collusion of an asteroid with earth could have blocked sunlight for few months or maybe years. Although, the speaker establishes that there is no sign of any asteroid crater on the earth which dates back to that era. The closest one dates nearly 12 million years before the extinction so it can not be a strong explanation for this phenomena.