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Turning points in Phanerozoic history

Abstract

During the last 450 Myr there has been concomitant variation in the Earth's rotation rate, the polarity bias of the geomagnetic field, the amount of activity at ocean ridges, sea level and climate. At turning points when trends in the variables reverse themselves, climatic instabilities have disrupted biological ecosystems and led to mass extinctions.

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Whyte, M. Turning points in Phanerozoic history. Nature 267, 679–682 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/267679a0

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