List of extinction events

Part of a series on
Evolutionary biology
Darwin's finches by John Gould
Index Introduction Main Outline Glossary Evidence History
Processes and outcomes Population genetics Variation Diversity Mutation Natural selection Adaptation Polymorphism Genetic drift Gene flow Speciation Adaptive radiation Co-operation Coevolution Coextinction Divergence Convergence Parallel evolution Extinction
Natural history Origin of life Common descent History of life Timeline of evolution Human evolution Phylogeny Biodiversity Biogeography Classification Evolutionary taxonomy Cladistics Transitional fossil Extinction event
History of evolutionary theory Overview Renaissance Before Darwin Darwin Origin of Species Before synthesis Modern synthesis Molecular evolution Evo-devo Current research History of speciation History of paleontology (timeline)
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Social implications Evolution as fact and theory Social responses Creation–evolution controversy Theistic evolution Objections to evolution Level of support
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An extinction event is a relatively fast drop in the number of species living on Earth. It occurs when the rate of extinction increases more than the rate of speciation. This is a list of the largest. Major extinction events are important to both geology and evolution.^[1][2][3]

1. ↑ Huggett, Richard J. 1997. Catastrophism. new ed. Verso.
2. ↑ Elewa A.M.T. (ed) 2008. Mass extinctions. Springer, Berlin.
3. ↑ Cite error: The named reference H&W was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).