Permian Period

Here is the script from our presentation on the video verbatim:


Andrew: The permian period was during the Palezoic era. it dated from 290 mya to 248 mya. during this time, pangea was beginning to form

melina: The land, made up of limestone and coal, resembled a swampy environment. over time, as the land dried, more and more coal formed, along with plant life like conifers

andrew: marine life included brachiopods, ammonoids, gastropods, crinoids, bony fish, sharks, fusulinid foraminifera, coral, and trilobites

melina: in addition to the prosperous marine life, the first mammal-like reptiles appeared. one of the most recognizable examples is the theraspid

andrew: the land masses, that would soon become Pangea, were creating mountain ranges, including the Glass Mts. in the Permian Basin, in the SW corner of Texas

melina: this increase in marine and land life was soon to be short lived as the Permian Period would give way to the largest mass extinction to this day

andrew: referred to as the "permian event" this mass extinction has many propsed theories as to why it occured

melina: during this pd, the temp increased and decreased on occasion and some scientists think this global weather fluctation was one of the reasons all this life perished. another proposed one is the massive Siberian volcanic eruption

andrew: this eruption triggered appx 500,000 cubic kilometers of lava and sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere. this cooled the earth and dropped acid rain. the noxious gas possibly suffocated the life down below. 90% of all marine life became extinct during the permian event

melina: however, due to the quality of the limestone and coal, fossils from this era were kept in mint-condition

andrew: this is a salamander of nearly 6 ft long

melina: if you're in the market for a salamander fossil, all you have to pay is a measley 600 grand