<Table> <Tr> <Th> Period or supereon </Th> <Th> Extinction </Th> <Th> Date </Th> <Th> Possible causes </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Quaternary </Td> <Td> Holocene extinction </Td> <Td> c . 10,000 BCE -- Ongoing </Td> <Td> Humans </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Quaternary extinction event </Td> <Td> 640,000 , 74,000 , and 13,000 years ago </Td> <Td> Unknown ; may include climate changes , massive volcanic eruptions and human overhunting </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Neogene </Td> <Td> Pliocene -- Pleistocene boundary extinction </Td> <Td> 2 Ma </Td> <Td> Supernova ? Eltanin impact ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Middle Miocene disruption </Td> <Td> 14.5 Ma </Td> <Td> -- climate change due to change of ocean circulation patterns and perhaps related to the Milankovitch cycles ? . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Paleogene </Td> <Td> Eocene -- Oligocene extinction event </Td> <Td> 33.9 Ma </Td> <Td> Popigai impactor ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cretaceous </Td> <Td> Cretaceous -- Paleogene extinction event </Td> <Td> 66 Ma </Td> <Td> Chicxulub impactor ; Deccan Traps ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cenomanian - Turonian boundary event </Td> <Td> 94 Ma </Td> <Td> Caribbean large igneous province </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Aptian extinction </Td> <Td> 117 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Jurassic </Td> <Td> End - Jurassic ( Tithonian ) extinction </Td> <Td> 145 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Toarcian turnover </Td> <Td> 183 Ma </Td> <Td> Karoo - Ferrar Provinces </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Triassic </Td> <Td> Triassic -- Jurassic extinction event </Td> <Td> 201 Ma </Td> <Td> Central Atlantic magmatic province ; impactor </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Carnian Pluvial Event </Td> <Td> 230 Ma </Td> <Td> Wrangellia flood basalts </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Permian </Td> <Td> Permian -- Triassic extinction event </Td> <Td> 252 Ma </Td> <Td> Siberian Traps ; Wilkes Land Crater ; Anoxic event </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> End - Capitanian extinction event </Td> <Td> 260 Ma </Td> <Td> Emeishan Traps ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Olson 's Extinction </Td> <Td> 270 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Carboniferous </Td> <Td> Carboniferous rainforest collapse </Td> <Td> 305 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Devonian </Td> <Td> Late Devonian extinction </Td> <Td> 375 -- 360 Ma </Td> <Td> Viluy Traps </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Silurian </Td> <Td> Lau event </Td> <Td> 420 Ma </Td> <Td> Changes in sea level and chemistry ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Mulde event </Td> <Td> 424 Ma </Td> <Td> Global drop in sea level ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ireviken event </Td> <Td> 428 Ma </Td> <Td> Deep - ocean anoxia ; Milankovitch cycles ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ordovician </Td> <Td> Ordovician -- Silurian extinction events </Td> <Td> 450 -- 440 Ma </Td> <Td> Global cooling and sea level drop ; Gamma - ray burst ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cambrian </Td> <Td> Cambrian -- Ordovician extinction event </Td> <Td> 488 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Dresbachian extinction event </Td> <Td> 502 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> End - Botomian extinction event </Td> <Td> 517 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Precambrian </Td> <Td> End - Ediacaran extinction </Td> <Td> 542 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Great Oxygenation Event </Td> <Td> 2400 Ma </Td> <Td> Rising oxygen levels in the atmosphere due to the development of photosynthesis </Td> </Tr> </Table>
<Table> <Tr> <Th> Period or supereon </Th> <Th> Extinction </Th> <Th> Date </Th> <Th> Possible causes </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Quaternary </Td> <Td> Holocene extinction </Td> <Td> c . 10,000 BCE -- Ongoing </Td> <Td> Humans </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Quaternary extinction event </Td> <Td> 640,000 , 74,000 , and 13,000 years ago </Td> <Td> Unknown ; may include climate changes , massive volcanic eruptions and human overhunting </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Neogene </Td> <Td> Pliocene -- Pleistocene boundary extinction </Td> <Td> 2 Ma </Td> <Td> Supernova ? Eltanin impact ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Middle Miocene disruption </Td> <Td> 14.5 Ma </Td> <Td> -- climate change due to change of ocean circulation patterns and perhaps related to the Milankovitch cycles ? . </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Paleogene </Td> <Td> Eocene -- Oligocene extinction event </Td> <Td> 33.9 Ma </Td> <Td> Popigai impactor ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cretaceous </Td> <Td> Cretaceous -- Paleogene extinction event </Td> <Td> 66 Ma </Td> <Td> Chicxulub impactor ; Deccan Traps ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cenomanian - Turonian boundary event </Td> <Td> 94 Ma </Td> <Td> Caribbean large igneous province </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Aptian extinction </Td> <Td> 117 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Jurassic </Td> <Td> End - Jurassic ( Tithonian ) extinction </Td> <Td> 145 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Toarcian turnover </Td> <Td> 183 Ma </Td> <Td> Karoo - Ferrar Provinces </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Triassic </Td> <Td> Triassic -- Jurassic extinction event </Td> <Td> 201 Ma </Td> <Td> Central Atlantic magmatic province ; impactor </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Carnian Pluvial Event </Td> <Td> 230 Ma </Td> <Td> Wrangellia flood basalts </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Permian </Td> <Td> Permian -- Triassic extinction event </Td> <Td> 252 Ma </Td> <Td> Siberian Traps ; Wilkes Land Crater ; Anoxic event </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> End - Capitanian extinction event </Td> <Td> 260 Ma </Td> <Td> Emeishan Traps ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Olson 's Extinction </Td> <Td> 270 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Carboniferous </Td> <Td> Carboniferous rainforest collapse </Td> <Td> 305 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Devonian </Td> <Td> Late Devonian extinction </Td> <Td> 375 -- 360 Ma </Td> <Td> Viluy Traps </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Silurian </Td> <Td> Lau event </Td> <Td> 420 Ma </Td> <Td> Changes in sea level and chemistry ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Mulde event </Td> <Td> 424 Ma </Td> <Td> Global drop in sea level ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ireviken event </Td> <Td> 428 Ma </Td> <Td> Deep - ocean anoxia ; Milankovitch cycles ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Ordovician </Td> <Td> Ordovician -- Silurian extinction events </Td> <Td> 450 -- 440 Ma </Td> <Td> Global cooling and sea level drop ; Gamma - ray burst ? </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cambrian </Td> <Td> Cambrian -- Ordovician extinction event </Td> <Td> 488 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Dresbachian extinction event </Td> <Td> 502 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> End - Botomian extinction event </Td> <Td> 517 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Precambrian </Td> <Td> End - Ediacaran extinction </Td> <Td> 542 Ma </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Great Oxygenation Event </Td> <Td> 2400 Ma </Td> <Td> Rising oxygen levels in the atmosphere due to the development of photosynthesis </Td> </Tr> </Table>
when did the first major extinction event take place
when did the first major extinction event take place
2400 Ma
2400 Ma