Mulde event
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| Subdivision of the Silurian Period | ||
| This box:viewtalkedit | ||
| −444 —–−442 —–−440 —–−438 —–−436 —–−434 —–−432 —–−430 —–−428 —–−426 —–−424 —–−422 —–−420 —– | PaleozoicSilurianDevonianLlandoveryWenlockLudlowPřídolíRhuddanianAeronianTelychianSheinwoodianHomerianGorstianLudfordianOrdovician | ←Lau event←Mulde event←Ireviken event |
| ← | Lau event | |
| ← | Mulde event | |
| ← | Ireviken event | |
| Subdivision of the Silurian according to the ICS, as of 2024. Vertical axis scale: Millions of years ago |
The Mulde event was an anoxic event, and marked the second of three1 relatively minor mass extinctions (the Ireviken, Mulde, and Lau events) during the Silurian period. It coincided with a global drop in sea level, and is closely followed by an excursion[clarification needed] in geochemical isotopes. Its onset is synchronous with the deposition of the Fröjel Formation in Gotland. Perceived extinction in the conodont fauna, however, likely represent a change in the depositional environment of sedimentary sequences rather than a genuine biological extinction.
Higher resolution δ13C isotope analysis identifies differences in the organic and carbonate carbon isotope curves (Δ13C), allowing the inference of a sustained drop in CO2 levels coincident with the extinction once sedimentological data are taken into account.
Notes
^1 The Ireviken, Mulde, and Lau events were all closely followed by isotopic excursions.