Paleontologists have hypothesized that the Ordovician mass extinction was the aftereffect of glaciation, evidence for this was found on the continent Gondwana at the end of that time period. Glacial deposits and magnetic rocks were discovered in the Saharan Desert and scientists proposed a theory for the cause of the glaciation based on that data. During the Ordovician period, the continent of Gondwana moved over the North Pole, this caused the climate to cool to an enormous degree. This resulted in widespread glaciation, which also caused the sea levels all over the world to fluctuate constantly, as huge amounts of water froze into ice sheets. All these events combined together caused by glaciation could have also greatly contributed to the mass extinction of the Ordovician time period.
Another theory that is plausible, but slightly ambiguous, as there is a lack of evidence to support it, is the Gamma Ray Burst Hypothesis. Scientists based in the University of Kansas and NASA have theorized that the first exinctions during the Ordovician period may have been due to an exploding start within 6,000 light years of Earth. The a ten second burst from the aforementioned gamma ray ( which would have originated from that star) would have damaged the Earth's atmosphere badly, causing almost half of it's ozone to disappear immediately. All surface dwelling oranisms, including plants which were the planet's photosynthsizers would all be exposed to high levels of ultraviolet radiation. Not only would this cause temperatures to drop, but would also wipe out a majority of the oraganisms on Earth.
What Organisms Were on Earth During the Ordovcian period?
Early Ordovician life forms consisted mainly of tribolites, sponges, algae, bacteria, certain types of bivalved mollusks and snails as well as Long straight-shelled nautiloids, small echinoderms and linguloid brachiopods.During the Middle Ordovician more complex marine life began to populate the sea; corals, bryozoans, several types of brachiopods, a number of crinozoan echniderms, conodonts, bivalved mollusks, new kinds of ostracodes, new types of trilobites, and new kinds of nautiloids began to develop in tropical marine environments.
Paleontologists have hypothesized that the Ordovician mass extinction was the aftereffect of glaciation, evidence for this was found on the continent Gondwana at the end of that time period. Glacial deposits and magnetic rocks were discovered in the Saharan Desert and scientists proposed a theory for the cause of the glaciation based on that data. During the Ordovician period, the continent of Gondwana moved over the North Pole, this caused the climate to cool to an enormous degree. This resulted in widespread glaciation, which also caused the sea levels all over the world to fluctuate constantly, as huge amounts of water froze into ice sheets. All these events combined together caused by glaciation could have also greatly contributed to the mass extinction of the Ordovician time period.
Another theory that is plausible, but slightly ambiguous, as there is a lack of evidence to support it, is the Gamma Ray Burst Hypothesis. Scientists based in the University of Kansas and NASA have theorized that the first exinctions during the Ordovician period may have been due to an exploding start within 6,000 light years of Earth. The a ten second burst from the aforementioned gamma ray ( which would have originated from that star) would have damaged the Earth's atmosphere badly, causing almost half of it's ozone to disappear immediately. All surface dwelling oranisms, including plants which were the planet's photosynthsizers would all be exposed to high levels of ultraviolet radiation. Not only would this cause temperatures to drop, but would also wipe out a majority of the oraganisms on Earth.
What Organisms Were on Earth During the Ordovcian period?
Early Ordovician life forms consisted mainly of tribolites, sponges, algae, bacteria, certain types of bivalved mollusks and snails as well as Long straight-shelled nautiloids, small echinoderms and linguloid brachiopods.During the Middle Ordovician more complex marine life began to populate the sea; corals, bryozoans, several types of brachiopods, a number of crinozoan echniderms, conodonts, bivalved mollusks, new kinds of ostracodes, new types of trilobites, and new kinds of nautiloids began to develop in tropical marine environments.