Ordovician-Silurian Mass Extinction Essay Topics - The Volcano

Ordovician-Silurian Mass Extinction Essay Topics - The VolcanoWhen you take an Ordovician-Silurian mass extinction essay topics class, you are able to learn about the extinction of the dinosaurs and how the Earth's ecosystem was affected. Through the course of the lecture you will be taught about this important period in Earth's history and how a number of events led to the demise of one of the planet's most important species.The most commonly talked about event in the mass extinction of the dinosaurs is a massive volcanic eruption. This has been called the 'Great Dying' because it is the event that caused a chain reaction of geological disasters that would cause the extinction of nearly all living creatures, including the dinosaurs.There were other events during the Ordovician-Silurian Mass Extinction that contributed to the demise of the dinosaurs. Some of these included the drying up of the ocean, which would have caused an enormous amount of plant and animal life to die off. Ther e is even evidence that indicates the occurrence of super-volcanoes in this period.When looking at the timeline of the mass extinction of the dinosaurs, there are several events that come from a time prior to the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora, a volcano in Indonesia. Although the world did not experience a nuclear holocaust as a result of the eruption, there was a large release of volcanic gases and sulfur dioxide that were released into the atmosphere and into the ocean. This acted as a blanket that slowly became saturated with sulfur dioxide, resulting in the overgrowth of algae, resulting in the destruction of the oceanic food chain.During the 'silurian' and the 'ordovician' mass extinction, there are two different types of fossils that can be found. These are the plant fossils, which occur in rock layers that are formed before the onset of the eruption and the animal fossils, which are found in sedimentary rock layers that formed after the eruption.Once the eruptions ended, sea levels began to rise as the massive volcanic eruption dissipated. Once this happened, the great impact that the eruption had on the earth's ecosystem would have been greatly reduced.When the eruption was over, the body of water that had been closed had been reopened, leading to significant changes in the environment. The ecosystem of the earth had to adjust to the sudden change. Changes in the carbon cycle due to the increased atmospheric carbon dioxide level also resulted in some major shifts in the environment.One of the most important lessons that you can learn from your Ordovician-Silurian mass extinction essay topics class is the fact that the eruption was an important event, but it is important to know that there are many important factors that were brought about by the events leading up to the event itself. The end of the dinosaurs is another one of these factors, but it is not the only one.