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SUMMARY:Antarctic Life On The Brink... With A Drink! - Rowan Whittle\, Bri
 tish Antarctic Survey
DTSTART:20150605T153000Z
DTEND:20150605T160000Z
UID:TALK59571@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Jim Jordan
DESCRIPTION:At the end of the Cretaceous (66 million years ago)\, there wa
 s a mass extinction that wiped out approximately 75% of marine and 50% of 
 terrestrial species. The cause of the extinction is most commonly thought 
 to have been a large comet impact\, although the Late Cretaceous was also 
 a period of major volcanic activity. One of the most notable groups to bec
 ome extinct at this time was the dinosaurs. This is one of the ‘big five
 ’ mass extinction events in earth history that have shaped the evolution
  of life.\n	In depth studies on Seymour Island\, north east of the Antarct
 ic Peninsula have provided us with the most comprehensive and accurately c
 ollected datasets over this time period anywhere in the world. Extensive f
 ossil collections\, along with sediment samples\, microfossil samples and 
 detailed geological studies have allowed us to understand life and the env
 ironment over 100 million years through the Cretaceous (from 145 million y
 ears ago) to the Eocene (which ended ~ 35 million years ago). Detailed stu
 dies show that there was a single extinction event of relatively high magn
 itude in Antarctica. This caused a major change in the composition of the 
 marine community\, in the types of animals and how they lived. Studying ca
 tastrophic events in earth history helps us to understand how modern life 
 evolved and how it might respond to change.  \n
LOCATION:British Antarctic Survey Conference Room
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