Kellwasser Event
Quick Summary
The Kellwasser Event was a significant mass extinction event that primarily impacted marine life during the Devonian Period, approximately 372 million years ago. This event is characterized by widespread anoxic (low-oxygen) conditions in the oceans, evidenced by layers of black shale.1
The Kellwasser Event led to the extinction of various marine groups, including specific types of goniatites (an ancient group of cephalopods), many conodont species, most colonial corals, several trilobite groups, and certain brachiopods. While a meteorite impact has been considered a potential cause, with evidence of an impact crater dated to around the time of the event, its direct link to the Kellwasser Event is still debated. Environmental factors, such as global cooling and increased nutrient runoff from continents, are also considered contributing factors to this extinction.1
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
Devonian PeriodExtinction events…goniatites, corals, and brachiopods; the Kellwasser Event saw the extinction of the beloceratid and manticoceratid goniatite groups, many conodont species, most colonial corals, several groups of trilobites, and the atrypid and pentamerid brachiopods at the Frasnian-Famennian boundary; and the Hangenberg Event saw the extinction of phacopid trilobites, several groups of…
Read More…goniatites, corals, and brachiopods; the Kellwasser Event saw the extinction of the beloceratid and manticoceratid goniatite groups, many conodont species, most colonial corals, several groups of trilobites, and the atrypid and pentamerid brachiopods at the Frasnian-Famennian boundary; and the Hangenberg Event saw the extinction of phacopid trilobites, several groups of…
Read More
Devonian extinctions…goniatites, corals, and brachiopods; the Kellwasser Event saw the extinction of the beloceratid and manticoceratid goniatite groups, many conodont species, most colonial corals, several groups of trilobites, and the atrypid and pentamerid brachiopods at the Frasnian-Famennian boundary (about 372.2 million years ago); and the Hangenberg Event saw the extinction of…
Read More…goniatites, corals, and brachiopods; the Kellwasser Event saw the extinction of the beloceratid and manticoceratid goniatite groups, many conodont species, most colonial corals, several groups of trilobites, and the atrypid and pentamerid brachiopods at the Frasnian-Famennian boundary (about 372.2 million years ago); and the Hangenberg Event saw the extinction of…
Read More