The era that rose from Earth's worst-ever extinction event

Space · Published 31 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Imagine a world so devastated by catastrophe that life had to restart from scratch. The Triassic Period began in the shadow of 'The Great Dying,' an apocalypse that wiped out nearly 90% of all species, leaving behind a planet struggling to rebuild its very first ecosystems.

The Triassic Period (252–201 million years ago) marks the dawn of the Mesozoic Era, often called the Age of Reptiles. It followed the Permian-Triassic extinction event, arguably the most significant biological collapse in Earth's history. This 'Great Dying' was so profound that it fundamentally altered the planet's trajectory, transitioning life from a Paleozoic world dominated by synapsids (mammal-like reptiles) to a Mesozoic world where archosaurian reptiles, including the first dinosaurs and genuine mammals, would eventually come to dominate.

The recovery was slow and grueling. In the earliest Triassic, the planet experienced what researchers call a 'coal gap'—a period of up to 10 million years where no coal was being laid down because plant life had been so severely decimated. Marine environments saw a resurgence of stromatolites and microbial reefs, marking a shift back to Precambrian-style conditions after 400 million years. On land, diversity was stifled, with opportunistic species like lycopsids and quilworts dominating the landscape while forests took millions of years to re-establish.

The environment during this period was characterized by relative climatic quietude on the supercontinent of Pangea, with no known glaciations. However, it was not without its own turmoil. A catastrophic loss of plant life likely triggered global warming and shifted river systems from meandering to braided patterns, indicative of a disturbed environment. By the end of the Triassic, however, the first dinosaurs had successfully established their foothold, only for the period to conclude with another significant extinction event that saw 25% of all animal families disappear.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• The catastrophic event that cleared the path for the age of dinosaurs
• The Age of Dinosaurs opened and closed with two of Earth's worst catastrophes
• Volcanic eruptions 201.4 million years ago cleared the stage for dinosaurs
• The 66-million-year reset that paved the way for mammals
• Dinosaurs appeared in the Triassic but crocodile cousins ruled it
• A nuclear fireball can be brighter than the Sun
• Why clean air is a fundamental human right for every child
• Should physicists prioritize aesthetic elegance over empirical truth in their scientific research?
• How a Cold War weapon transformed into America's most powerful space launch giant
• Why wrapping your groceries in plastic might actually save the planet
• The ancient, microscopic engine driving our planet's oxygen and life
• The two seismic threats that could dismantle the American economy

More in Space · Latest · A–Z · All topics