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Mass Extinctions in the Marine Fossil Record

David M. Raup and J. John Sepkoski, Jr.
Science • 19 Mar 1982 • Vol 215, Issue 4539 • pp. 1501-1503 • DOI: 10.1126/science.215.4539.1501
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Abstract

A new compilation of fossil data on invertebrate and vertebrate families indicates that four mass extinctions in the marine realm are statistically distinct from background extinction levels. These four occurred late in the Ordovician, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous periods. A fifth extinction event in the Devonian stands out from the background but is not statistically significant in these data. Background extinction rates appear to have declined since Cambrian time, which is consistent with the prediction that optimization of fitness should increase through evolutionary time.

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Published In

Science
Volume 215 • Issue 4539 • 19 March 1982
Pages: 1501 - 1503

History

Received: 28 September 1981
Revision received: 1 December 1981
Published online: 19 March 1982

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1982 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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David M. Raup
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois 60605
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J. John Sepkoski, Jr.
Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago 60637
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Science
Volume 215|Issue 4539
19 March 1982
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Received:28 September 1981
Published in print:19 March 1982
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