5 Events that could lead to Mass Extinction on Earth

The long-term habitability of Earth is a massive debate these days. More often than not, these discussions are somehow linked to the progress of different space agencies, who are in the quest of sending humans to Mars. Scientists are trying to find other habitable planets (besides Earth) in the universe so that our species should not be limited to this planet. The basic goal of all these efforts is to avoid mass extinction but there are several other ways that could destroy the world as we know it. Following is a list of 5 events that could cause large-scale destruction to all forms of life on Earth.

Black Hole

The possibility of a black hole eating up our planet (and solar system) is discussed much more often than some of the other entries in the list. A black hole is essentially a concentration of mass that has such a strong gravitational force that even light cannot pass through it.

There are multiple ways in which a black hole can come into existence and supernova is one of them. Whenever a star goes supernova, its core can possibly collapse on itself to form a black hole. Using this information as a focal point, some people believe that the black hole formed inside the stellar system of Eta Carinae can engulf our planet. Although we have no proof of its existence (as of yet), the chances are certainly there on the basis of the available information. On the other hand, scientists have clarified that such a horrific event is highly unlikely in the given circumstances. You can find some interesting information about black holes at HERE

Gamma-ray Burst

A gamma-ray burst is a massive explosion of powerful electromagnetic radiation that can produce so much energy that the Sun cannot in a period of about 10 billion years. According to an estimate of scientists, if a gamma-ray burst hits the Earth, it will initiate a series of events that will cause mass extinction around the planet. Not only will it cause radiation sickness due to cosmic rays, but it will also deplete the ozone layer to make things even more miserable. Generally, gamma-ray bursts have been observed away from us but you cannot eliminate the chances completely on this basis.

Methanosarcina

Methanosarcina is a microbe that produces Methane. It is believed that the microbe caused a catastrophic mass extinction, around 252 million years ago. The theory suggests that Methanosarcina used the minerals from the Siberian volcanic eruptions to grow and heated the climate to an extent that it led to the acidification of the seas. This initiated a large-scale extinction of life that killed nearly 90% of marine creatures. Similarly, it destroyed 70% of life on land to cause one of the top 5 mass extinctions in the history of Earth. Given the idea that the Arctic is a ticking time bomb of Methane, another methane burst is pretty much possible if too much ice melts (effects of global warming). You can know more about the Arctic here

Flood Basalt

A flood basalt event refers to a humungous volcanic eruption that causes acidification of oceans and increases global temperatures and Carbon Dioxide concentration. According to a study, the mass extinction at the end of the Triassic period was also a consequence of a flood basalt. It basically spreads Sulfur Dioxide into the stratosphere, which diverts sunlight away from our planet. Consequently, temperatures fall and acid rains follow. This marks the beginning of the chaos that could have unimaginable results. Having said that, scientists are trying to figure out the cause of a flood basalt event so that we could know about its occurrence in advance.

Campi Flegrei

This supervolcano is situated in the Bay of Naples and has not erupted for over 500 years (luckily). However, recent warnings of volcanologists (December 2016) show that Campi Flegrei could be moving towards its critical degaussing pressure and that could be severely catastrophic, to say the least. According to reports, the supervolcano released 450,000 tons of Sulfur Dioxide by lifting 72 miles of molten rock 43 miles up into the air, some 39,000 years ago. This massive eruption spread the ash over an area of 1,200 miles and had centuries-long consequences on Europe, which experienced a volcanic winter. The fact that a lot of other sites like the Yellowstone Park in the United States and Lake Toba in Indonesia are also holding similar super-volcanoes makes things even more alarming.