Earth's Big Five Mass Extinctions Poster
Brand : Sciencemall-USA
- SKU:
- JPT-83140
- Availability:
- Usually ships in 24 hours.
- Weight:
- 1.00 LBS
- Minimum Purchase:
- 1 unit
- Maximum Purchase:
- 6 units
- Shipping:
- Calculated at Checkout
Earth's Big Five Mass Extinctions Poster
This double-sided 8 1/2 x 17-inch science poster traces Earth's Big Five mass extinctions across 540 million years, from the frozen seas of the End-Ordovician to the Chicxulub impact at the K-Pg Boundary. The front sets the extinctions against a deep-time global temperature curve, and the back explains each event, the late-glacial Dryas cold snaps, and how today's warming compares to the geologic record.
About This Mass Extinctions Poster
This poster brings together the forces that have reshaped life on Earth: asteroid impacts, supervolcanoes, flood basalts such as the Siberian Traps and Deccan Traps, rapid climate change, and ocean acidification and anoxia. A summary table compares the likely climate drivers, estimated species loss, and life affected for each of the Big Five events.
The centerpiece of the front is a global average temperature curve for the last 540 million years, simplified from Scotese et al. (2021), Earth-Science Reviews, with each extinction marked against the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic periods of the ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart. A second panel follows the Last Ice Age from the Last Glacial Maximum through the Bølling, Older Dryas, Allerød, and Younger Dryas into the stable warmth of the Holocene.
The back gives each extinction its own illustrated panel: the End-Ordovician (444 Ma), Late Devonian (372–359 Ma), End-Permian (252 Ma), End-Triassic (201 Ma), and End-Cretaceous (66 Ma), followed by the Older and Younger Dryas and late Pleistocene megafauna loss. It closes with a look at present-day Earth-system tipping points, including coral reefs, the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, permafrost, and North Atlantic circulation, with thresholds drawn from Armstrong McKay et al. (2022), Science, and a deep-time comparison to the End-Triassic.
Product Information
| Product | Earth's Big Five Mass Extinctions: Supervolcanoes and Climate Change science poster |
| Format | Double-sided, full color front and back |
| Paper | High-quality Hammermill 28 lb (105 g/m²) paper |
| Dimensions | 8 1/2 x 17 in (216 x 432 mm) |
| Packaging | Rolled and sleeved for protection in shipping |
| Topics Covered | End-Ordovician, Late Devonian, End-Permian, End-Triassic, and End-Cretaceous extinctions, extinction triggers, 540-million-year temperature curve, Last Ice Age and Dryas events, modern climate tipping points |
| Ideal For | Classrooms, museum and planetarium displays, university departments, and private collectors of extinction-event specimens |
| Science Gift Options | Pairs naturally with our K-Pg Boundary, Deccan Traps, Siberian Traps, Chicxulub, Younger Dryas, and End-Permian and Devonian extinction specimens |
| What's Included | One double-sided Earth's Big Five Mass Extinctions poster, protective sleeve |
| Brand | Jensan Scientifics / Sciencemall-USA |
| SKU | JPT-83140 |
Questions Commonly Asked About the Mass Extinctions Poster
How large is the poster, and how is it shipped?
The poster measures 8 1/2 x 17 inches (216 x 432 mm). It is rolled and sleeved before shipping so it arrives free of creases.
What is on each side of the poster?
The front covers the Big Five at a glance: a comparison table, a 540-million-year temperature curve with each extinction marked, the major triggers of mass extinction, and a timeline of the Last Ice Age and Dryas events.
The back gives each extinction its own illustrated panel, explains the Older and Younger Dryas and megafauna loss, and closes with today's Earth-system tipping points and a deep-time comparison.
What scientific sources does the poster draw on?
The deep-time temperature curve is simplified from Scotese et al. (2021), Earth-Science Reviews, and the geologic periods follow the ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart. Climate tipping-point thresholds are central estimates from Armstrong McKay et al. (2022), Science.
Why are the Dryas events included if they were not mass extinctions?
The Older Dryas (14.1 to 13.9 thousand years ago) and Younger Dryas (12.9 to 11.7 thousand years ago) show how abruptly climate can shift, even within a few centuries. They stressed ecosystems and large mammals at the close of the Ice Age, and the poster makes clear they are not among the Big Five, which helps students see the difference between rapid climate change and a true global mass extinction.
Can I buy the rocks connected to these extinction events?
Yes. The back of the poster lists extinction-related material available at Sciencemall-USA.com, including K-Pg Boundary, Deccan Traps, Siberian Traps, Chicxulub, Snowball Earth, Younger Dryas, and End-Permian and Devonian extinction specimens. A QR code on the poster links directly to our site.
Five times, life on Earth nearly started over. This poster puts those turning points, and the climate forces behind them, on one sheet you can hang beside the rocks that recorded them.
