Climate - Extinctions

Small-scale extinction events occurred sporadically throughout the Cambrian. One event in the mid-Cambrian was clearly associated with a global oceanic retreat.




Each of the Cambrian events collectively wiped out several families of trilobites, including most of the genera and species living on the continental shelf. Less attention has been paid to extinction patterns of other invertebrates, but there is some evidence for corresponding extinctions of brachiopods and conodonts. Geochemical evidence suggests that the extinction was caused by a sudden drop in water temperature.