Taghanic event

The Taghanic event was a major extinction event that happened about 386 million years ago during the Givetian faunal stage of the Middle Devonian geologic period in the Paleozoic era. It was caused by hypoxia from an anoxic event, meaning that the oxygen levels in the Earth's oceans dropped dramatically. This lack of oxygen led to the death of many corals, and the loss of coral reefs caused many other sea animals that depended on the reefs to also die.

Scientists estimate that between 28.5% and 36% of all species went extinct during this time, making it the eighth largest extinction event known. The drop in oxygen was caused by a period of global warming, which was linked to natural changes in Earth's orbit called Milankovitch cycles. After the Taghanic event, sea levels were higher than before.

Eventually, sea life began to recover in the Frasnian faunal stage, starting about 382.7 million years ago. The Taghanic event was followed by two more major extinction events: the Kellwasser event about 372 million years ago and the Hangenberg event about 359 million years ago.

Extinctions

The Taghanic event, which happened around 386 million years ago, led to many plants and animals disappearing. About half of all coral types, including a coral called Thamnopora boloniensis, went extinct. Many sea sponges and other simple ocean creatures also disappeared during this time. This event changed life in the oceans a lot.

Main article: Taghanic event

Sediments

Scientists studied layers of Old Red Sandstone continent to learn about the Taghanic extinction event. They looked at sudden changes in rock layers, animal fossils, and where these fossils were found. The Taghanic event can be seen in places like the Tully Formation and Marcellus Formation in New York and Pennsylvania, as well as in the Windom shale. It is also recorded in the Mahantango Formation in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland. The event has been found in Tafilalt, Morocco, especially in the Anti-Atlas mountains, and in rocks from the Orcadian Basin in Scotland.

Taghanic onlap

The period of global warming that caused the Taghanic event melted ice caps, causing sea levels to rise. This led to the Taghanic onlap, where land was slowly covered by the advancing sea. As the sea moved forward, it left strata deposits on the seafloor. In what is now the southwestern United States, this flooding created a shallow marine environment.