The Worst of Times: How Life on Earth Survived Eighty Million Years of Extinctions

Hardback

Main Details

Title The Worst of Times: How Life on Earth Survived Eighty Million Years of Extinctions
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Paul B. Wignall
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:224
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 140
Category/GenrePollution and threats to the environment
Natural disasters
Social impact of environmental issues
The Earth - natural history general
ISBN/Barcode 9780691142098
ClassificationsDewey:576.84
Audience
General
Illustrations 16 color illus. 2 halftones. 11 line illus.

Publishing Details

Publisher Princeton University Press
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publication Date 29 September 2015
Publication Country United States

Description

Two hundred sixty million years ago, life on Earth suffered wave after wave of cataclysmic extinctions, with the worst wiping out nearly every species on the planet. The Worst of Times delves into the mystery behind these extinctions and sheds light on the fateful role the primeval supercontinent, known as Pangea, might have played in causing these

Author Biography

Paul B. Wignall is professor of paleoenvironments at the University of Leeds.

Reviews

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2016 "[Wignall] presents a sound examination of an 80-million-year span, which began nearly 260 million years ago, that is considered by scientists to have been the most extreme extinction event in Earth's history... [A] great example of scientific sleuthing."--Publishers Weekly "[An] excellent introduction to the latest thinking about this key period in Earth's history... Wignall's book is enthralling."--Matthew Cobb, New Scientist "In this scholarly but accessible analysis, geologist Wignall explores the perfect storm of cataclysms, plate tectonics and other forces that led to 'The Great Dying'--and the rebound of life in its aftermath."--Gemma Tarlach, Discover magazine "Well written and persuasive."--Choice "Over the 170-odd pages [Wignall] discusses in great yet concise detail the point and counterpoint of large igneous provinces, massiv accumulations of millions of cubic kilometers of igneous rock, and mass extinctions that occurred repetitively and in synchrony from the middle of the Permian to the middle of the Jurassic... A well-researched, thorough, and stimulating volume for anyone looking for a scientific account of this time period and the notable geological and biological events that took place over its course."--William Gearty, Quarterly Review of Biology