Taghanic Event
Quick Summary
The Taghanic Event was a significant mass extinction event during the Devonian Period, approximately 419.2 to 359 million years ago. This event, along with others like the Kellwasser and Hangenberg events, contributed to the elimination of a substantial percentage of marine species. The Taghanic Event specifically marked a period of extinction for goniatites, corals, and brachiopods.12
While the exact cause of Devonian extinctions remains debated, potential contributing factors include excessive sedimentation, rapid climate shifts (warming or cooling), meteorite impacts, and increased nutrient runoff from continents. Evidence suggests that periods of low oxygen (hypoxic or anoxic conditions) in Devonian seas were strongly linked to these extinctions. It is likely that a combination of these stresses led to the widespread loss of life during this era.12
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…very significant extinction episodes: the Taghanic Event, which formerly was used to draw the boundary between the Middle and Upper Devonian, was a marked period of extinction for goniatites, corals, and brachiopods; the Kellwasser Event saw the extinction of the beloceratid and manticoceratid goniatite groups, many conodont species, most colonial…
Read More…very significant extinction episodes: the Taghanic Event, which formerly was used to draw the boundary between the Middle and Upper Devonian, was a marked period of extinction for goniatites, corals, and brachiopods; the Kellwasser Event saw the extinction of the beloceratid and manticoceratid goniatite groups, many conodont species, most colonial…
Read More
Devonian extinctions…very significant extinction episodes: the Taghanic Event, which formerly was used to draw the boundary between the Middle and Upper Devonian, was a marked period of extinction for goniatites, corals, and brachiopods; the Kellwasser Event saw the extinction of the beloceratid and manticoceratid goniatite groups, many conodont species, most colonial…
Read More…very significant extinction episodes: the Taghanic Event, which formerly was used to draw the boundary between the Middle and Upper Devonian, was a marked period of extinction for goniatites, corals, and brachiopods; the Kellwasser Event saw the extinction of the beloceratid and manticoceratid goniatite groups, many conodont species, most colonial…
Read More