Sol: Destroyer of Worlds

The End of Life on Earth

Table of Contents

  1. Terran Shelf-Life
  2. An Evolving Star
  3. The Loss of Flora
  4. The Desert Planet
  5. Stardust

Terran Shelf-Life

Life on Earth has enjoyed quite the run. The first traces of life on Earth date back at least 3.5 billion years, only 1 billion years after the formation of our planet. Photosynthesis dates back to around 2.4 billion years ago. Around 530 million years ago, the Cambrian explosion resulted in an incredible diversification of the biosphere and the ascendancy of complex lifeforms. Today, the number of known species on Earth is about 1.5 million, and the total number is likely 5 to 10 times as large. Clearly, life on Earth has flourished.

The different types of species currently on Earth.

Despite this success story, life on Earth must obey the laws of the universe. At some point, the biotic experiment on Earth wil come to a close. Indeed, over the course of Terran history there have been close calls. Perhaps the two most famous extinction events to occur in recent geologic history are the Permian-Triassic extinction and the Cretaceous-Tertiary (or Paleogene) extinction. The Permian-Triassic event, appropriately nicknamed the "Great Dying," was the largest extinction apparent in the geologic record. It is estimated that 70% of land species dissappeared and an incredible 96% of marine species were wiped out in the Great Dying extinction. The K-T extinction "only" eliminated 75% of all species on Earth, but that event killed off the celebrites of the fossil record: the dinosaurs.

Another extinction is in progress as you read this document. This extinction is not caused by some natural calamity, but rather by the activities of man. Thus, some argue that it will be anthropogenic forcings that inadvertently end life on Earth. While the scenario of humanity destroying itself may be disturbingly plausable, it is unlikely that humans will have the capability of ending all life on the planet. Rather, the dominant body in our system, the Sun, a stellar body which has enabled life to flourish on Earth, will be the force that ends life on Earth.

An Evolving Star >>

This website designed by Brian Vanderwende, 2012.