The Carnian Rain event that lasted more than 2 million years helped form coal and oil on Earth today (Illustration: Pham Huong).
The cause of the rains that lasted more than 2 million years
About 233 million years ago, just before the reign of the dinosaurs, Earth experienced a unique climatic event called the Carnian Pluvial Event (CPE).
This phenomenon is characterized by unusually heavy and prolonged rains, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, causing widespread flooding and the creation of humid forests.
The existence of this event has been known to scientists for decades. Evidence comes from analysis of sedimentary rocks, fossils and isotopes (variants of chemical elements with different numbers of neutrons, which reveal past environmental conditions) at many locations, notably in the Eastern Alps and the United Kingdom.
The primary cause of the CPE is believed to be large-scale volcanic eruptions in the Wrangellia Magmatic Province (present-day western Canada).
These eruptions release huge amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, leading to an increase in global temperatures.
This warming completely changed the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean, causing continuous rains that lasted nearly two million years, and rising lake and river levels.
Acid rain from the eruptions, combined with increased greenhouse gases, caused a "heatwave" extinction event — a sudden and rapid global warming — according to a study in the Journal of the Geological Society.
What happens after CPE?
The consequences of the CPE were profound. In the wake of this crisis, an explosion of evolution and biological diversity occurred.
Many new groups of organisms appeared and flourished, including dinosaurs, early mammals, new species of fish and reptiles, as well as more modern flowering plants and trees.
Another important consequence of CPE is the formation of huge coal and oil reserves due to environmental and vegetation changes.
The CPE is a classic example of extreme climate change in Earth’s history. Triggered by intense volcanic activity, it reshaped the global environment, causing mass extinctions but also paving the way for the rise of dinosaurs and mammals.
CPE research, through geological and paleontological analysis, not only helps us gain a deeper understanding of the impact of abrupt climate change on biodiversity and natural resource formation, but also provides valuable lessons on climate mechanisms, the interactions between geological and climatic factors, and their long-term consequences.
This knowledge is important for clarifying the past and forecasting future environmental challenges, contributing to a better understanding of current climate dynamics.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/trai-dat-tung-mua-khong-ngung-trong-2-trieu-nam-dan-toi-dieu-nay-20250517115145355.htm
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