Chapter 1
The architecture of deep time
Chapter 2
Surviving the great dyings
Chapter 3
Ancient climates and changing worlds
Chapter 4
The library of 148 million secrets
YOUR GOAL
Master of Earth before us in the Smithsonian deep time vaults
Ch 2 · Surviving the great dyings
streetspirit Winding fossilized tunnels from the early Triassic carve pathways through the ancient soil
streetspirit The Great Dyings
The world goes on, the world goes on, Life survived before we were here.
streetspirit The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary layer tells the story of the dinosaur-ending asteroid.
BETA
streetspirit Match prehistoric fossils to learn how Earth bounced back from disasters before humans existed.
Fun Fact
Dinosaur dental records: Some duck-billed dinosaurs had over 1,000 teeth packed into their jaws, which they replaced constantly throughout their lives.
Glossary
purgatorius (noun)
A tiny, squirrel-sized mammal that survived the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs and is considered the earliest ancestor of all primates. Discovered in Montana's Purgatory Hill, this tough little survivor reminds us that even the smallest creatures can shape the future of the entire planet.
A tiny, squirrel-sized mammal that survived the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs and is considered the earliest ancestor of all primates. Discovered in Montana's Purgatory Hill, this tough little survivor reminds us that even the smallest creatures can shape the future of the entire planet.
Quiz
Why do scientists study fossilized burrowing organisms from the early Triassic period?
Glossary
mass extinction (noun)
The rapid and widespread decline in the biodiversity of Earth's species over a short geological period. The Smithsonian's fossil hall displays specimens from the planet's most devastating biological collapse 252 million years ago.
The rapid and widespread decline in the biodiversity of Earth's species over a short geological period. The Smithsonian's fossil hall displays specimens from the planet's most devastating biological collapse 252 million years ago.
Quiz
Near which modern-day country did the asteroid impact occur that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs?
Quiz
What is the name of the squirrel-sized early mammal ancestor that survived the dinosaur extinction?
Quiz
Approximately how many million years ago did the 'Great Dying' Permian-Triassic extinction occur?
Quiz
Which element, rare on Earth but common in asteroids, is found in the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary clay?
Quiz
What percentage of all species on Earth were wiped out by the Cretaceous-Paleogene asteroid impact?
Quiz
How long did it take for complex coral reef ecosystems to recover after the Triassic mass extinction?