Raymundo, Maria Carina 2010-20226

The Documentary, "The Day the Earth Nearly Died", was interesting as it presented different views on the cause of the Permian Mass Extinction which has been said to have eliminated 95% of life on Earth. First discussed was the Massive Volcano Theory by Prof. Vincent Courtilot. He said that the origin of the Siberian Traps was a flood basalt eruption, which could lasted millions of years, resulting to the 100,000 sq. miles of the Siberian Traps and millions of cubic kilometers lava. However, according to modern scientists, for that to have caused a massive extinction, it should have changed the climate by 10 degrees. However, according to new findings by Michael Rampino based on rock formations on the Alps, the catastrophic event should have only lasted 10,000 years.This leads to the second theory of a massive impact. A massive meteor would have caused shockwaves leading to the instant death of several animals. The cloud dust resulting from it would have also lowered the temperature. The observation of Gregory Retallack of rocks in Antarctica show shocked quartz, resulting from enormous pressure seems to support the theory. However, materials commonly found in outer space were not found. Also this impact did not leave any traces such as that of the one that killed the dinosaurs near Mexico. Adrian Jones claims that a meteor impact that strong could have caused lava to fill it up as the land rebounds.No one would have expected the silent killer. Paul Wignall mapped out the events based on his findings from Permian rocks in Greenland and identified 3 main phases. The first phase is when some species died, the second phase is the marine extinction and the 3rd phase is when land plants and animals died. He was curious as to the reason to the sudden increase in carbon 12 after the second event. David Dickens found that small amounts of methane hydrate could significantly increase the ocean temperature by 4-5 degrees. Wignall concluded that the first event was the super volcano which caused global warming and the death of species which could not cope with the sudden change in climate. This heat would have also caused the oceans to heat up, this triggered the release of methane, which became the ultimate killer, leading to the third and final event. If there was one thing I learned about this documentary it is being open minded. As a lay person, I never would have thought that a gas would have killed that much. Also, I admired how the scientists were not satisfied until they found the correct answer. However, I am alarmed because similar to the video, the Earth is also experiencing global warming, which could also lead to the release of methane hydrate and the eventual death of many species, possibly even human beings. Could we be facing a second extinction caused by methane hydrate? For me, whatever happens, they happen for a reason. Just like we never would have flourished had some species not died. What is important is that life remains and perpetuates.