Study shows a prominent 62 million year mass extinction cycle - We are on the brink of the next one

It should first be noted that this is a summary I put together from another 2012 thread I started a while back. I feel this needed to be brought to light once again in a more summarized fashion

Mass extinction comes every 62 million years, UC physicists discover

With surprising and mysterious regularity, life on Earth has flourished and vanished in cycles of mass extinction every 62 million years, say two UC Berkeley scientists who discovered the pattern after a painstaking computer study of fossil records going back for more than 500 million years.

Their findings are certain to generate a renewed burst of speculation among scientists who study the history and evolution of life. Each period of abundant life and each mass extinction has itself covered at least a few million years -- and the trend of biodiversity has been rising steadily ever since the last mass extinction, when dinosaurs and millions of other life forms went extinct about 65 million years ago.

www.dailygalaxy.com... and www.livescience.com...

Research has revealed that the rise and fall of species on Earth seems to be driven by the undulating motions of our solar system as it travels through the Milky Way. Some scientists believe that this cosmic force may offer the answer to some of the biggest questions in our Earth’s biological history—especially where evolution has fallen short.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found that marine fossil records show that biodiversity increases and decreases based on a 62-million-year cycle. At least two of the Earth's great mass extinctions-the Permian extinction 250 million years ago and the Ordovician extinction about 450 million years ago-correspond with peaks of this cycle, which can't be explained by evolutionary theory.

Early last year, a team of researchers at the University of Kansas came up with an out-of-this-world explanation for the phenomenon. Their idea hinges upon the fact that stars move through space and sometimes rush headlong through galaxies, or approach closely enough to cause a brief cosmic tryst.

Our own star moves toward and away from the Milky Way's center, and also up and down through the galactic plane. One complete up-and-down cycle takes 64 million years- suspiciously close to the Earth's biodiversity cycle.

Once the researchers independently confirmed the biodiversity cycle, they then proposed a novel mechanism whereby which the Sun's galactic travels is causing it.

www.itwire.com...

As the Earth’s solar system travels around the center of the Milky Way galaxy, it also wobbles up and down from the galaxy’s disc. U.S. scientists found that these swings take about 62 million years to complete—thus, may expose the Earth to higher doses of dangerous cosmic ray that may also cause mass extinctions.

The thing I find most significant about all this, is that there seems to be a 62 Million year cycle related to mass extinctions...and the last was what, 65 million years ago...and we pass through the galactic belt in 2012, which also has around a 64 million up-down cycle, and the Mayan calender ends 2012 (gotta throw that calender in). The pieces of this puzzle seem to fit together perfectly.

The entire up down cycle in which we pass through the galactic belt twice takes 62 million. This actually makes things a whole lot worse, as it isn't the passing through the galactic belt that we should be worried about...

I actually think, that on one side of the galactic belt, there is something that makes it hard for life to survive...not quite sure what...scientists say that when we go through the galactic belt, there are large amounts of radiation coming from the "shock-waves" that come from the movement of our galaxy, just like the bow shock caused by our solar systems movement through the galaxy.
www.dailygalaxy.com...

Adrian Melott and his colleague Mikhail Medvedev, speculate that as the Milky Way rushes towards the Virgo Cluster, it generates a so-called bow shock in front of it that is similar to the shock wave created by a supersonic jet.

"Our solar system has a shock wave around it, and it produces a good quantity of the cosmic rays that hit the Earth. Why shouldn't the galaxy have a shock wave, too?" Melott asks.

So the side we are on now is safe, but for some reason, the other side isn't, and when we move past the galactic belt, onto the other side, we go from easy living conditions, to hard living conditions, and bam, mass extinction.
www.dailygalaxy.com...

Normally, our galaxy's magnetic field shields our solar system from this "galactic wind." But every 64 million years, the solar system's cyclical travels take it above the galactic plane.

"When we emerge out of the disk, we have less protection, so we become exposed to many more cosmic rays," Melott has said.

Some life adapts and survives, and slowly adapts until we go back through, onto the other side, at which stage, we should see a boom in the development of life as we come back into easy living conditions.

Mass extinctions occur on a 62 million year cycle, but I think it's probably not as catastrophic as some people may speculate, the dinosaurs survived the first 2 times, but the third time, they got bombarded with a number of devastating events. I think it was the comet that amplified the normal event which happens every 62 million years. It was probably as the Earth went through the galactic belt (where most of the galaxies mass is located), it got hit with a comet, and then the crossover, which is what normally causes the 62 million year mass extinction, just topped it off, or maybe the Earth got hit with a comet at time with no relation to any of this, I'm sure a comet alone, if big enough, would be enough to cause the extinction of the dinosaurs.

When we look at the classic graph of extinctions, we are probably seeing times when other, more massive catastrophes have happened at the same time, and added to the effects, or at different times to the 62 million year catastrophe, so maybe these consistent 62 mass extinctions aren't as bad as we may have thought, but I wouldn't underestimate them either.

And when it comes to when the next mass extinction in this cycle will happen, the link between the movement of our solar system through our galaxy and these mass extinctions is pretty strong, and considering we move into the galactic belt in 2012, I would be ready for something.

I found yet another website which explains the theory I have put forth here, but whilst doing so, I've also seemed to stumble across something else...

The first website (I attached a picture from this website so we can visualize what's going on):
Galactic Drift and Mass Extinction
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/654a45af9c3d.jpg[/atsimg]
Now when reading that article, I read the following:

With a 3-million year uncertainty in the calculations, that 64 million year cycle matches well enough with the 62 million year cycle of extinctions. The match resonates with Richard Muller, who says of the KU team: “They succeeded where I failed in coming up with a possible explanation for the effect that we observed.” And if they’re right, we have time to prepare for the next major event, since the Solar System has just passed the mid-plane of the galaxy. The next peak occurs in ten to twelve million years, assuming the KU theorists are onto something.

Then I read this in the same article:

The extinction event that cries out for explanation here is the most recent, the Cretaceous/Tertiary dinosaur extinction that dates back some 65 million years. It’s exceptional in this context because it occurred within two million years of the Solar System’s mid-plane galactic crossing.

This becomes the hot topic in the responses to this article. So I did some searching and found this article, dated May 6th, 2008:
www.universetoday.com...

And here's the bad news. According to their calculations, the Solar System will be passing through the galactic plane in the near future, and should see an increased risk of impact.

I think we may have yet another conspiracy on our hands...they come up with a working theory...and then they contradict the whole theory by saying we have 15 million years left when the last one was around 65 million years ago! According to their theory, we would have around 30 million years left if we just passed through the galactic belt.
From first article:

The Solar System moves up and down as it orbits the galactic core (see image at left). Mikhail Medvedev and Adrian Melott, taking that motion into account, factor in the motion of the Milky Way itself, hypothesizing that its leading, north side generates a shock wave that exposes the Earth to high-energy radiation every 64 million years or so. Here’s Melott on the matter:

“I did notice that not only did these time scales appear to be almost the same, but the drops in biodiversity coincide with the times when the sun is on the north side of the galactic disc. I already knew the north side of the galactic disc was the direction toward which the galaxy is falling.”

I have noticed these contradictions in every article concerning this theory. I have posted a few articles on this same theory so far...are they trying to hide the fact that we may be on the brink of a mass extinction? What is going on here?

[edit on 13/4/09 by CHA0S]

This sounds like more dealth cult propaganda from the eugenicists to get people used to the idea that we're all going to die soon.

But not from any 62 million year cycle.

From a bunch of Luciferian murderers who think they are god-men and the rest of us are vermin who need to die so they can proceed to their utopian dreams of total tyranny and evil like the world has never seen before or will again.

reply to post by Salt of the Earth

So UC physicists are "a bunch of Luciferian murderers who think they are god-men and the rest of us are vermin who need to die so they can proceed to their utopian dreams of total tyranny and evil"? Yeah...you've been readin way to much conspiracy son...

reply to post by CHA0S


Salt is not calling the physicists the Luciferian god-men. He stated that we weren't going to die by some 60 million year cycle, but by the hand of Luciferian god-men bent on world domination. Not sure if he means the NWO, Illuminati, aliens, or what.

reply to post by B2Daweezy

Yeah but he says:

Originally posted by Salt of the Earth
This sounds like more dealth cult propaganda from the eugenicists to get people used to the idea that we're all going to die soon.

And then goes on to say the real reason he thinks we will die. I'm not sure who he means either but either way...it's a bit over the top.

EDIT: That would make it above "top" secret though...

[edit on 13/4/09 by CHA0S]

reply to post by CHA0S





... I'm not seeing any sort of regular 64 million year extinction cycle here.

Insofar as the current extinction cycle, the Holocene Extinction, it's been going on for quite some time and is directly linked to human activity. However, it should not be confused with the Pleistocene Extinction event which saw the end of the more famous megafauna such as the Woolly Mammoth and Smilodon.

[edit on 13-4-2009 by Lasheic]

Well, maybe what we humans do wouldn't have such a strong effect without this cycle.

I think this is pretty convincing evidence... except the radiation exposure cannot explain such events as asteroid impacts, can it? I'm going to look into it some more on my own, but I do think these cycles exist. I'm just not sure -exactly- what they consist of.

Originally posted by Lasheic
... I'm not seeing any sort of regular 64 million year extinction cycle here.

I'm not sure what graph that is...but I did already cover that:

When we look at the classic graph of extinctions, we are probably seeing times when other, more massive catastrophes have happened at the same time, and added to the effects, or at different times to the 62 million year catastrophe, so maybe these consistent 62 mass extinctions aren't as bad as we may have thought, but I wouldn't underestimate them either.

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
I'm just not sure -exactly- what they consist of.

Yes...that's my problem aswell. I'm fairly certian these cycles happen due to some cosmic cycle...I'm just not 100% sure as to what will happen...we can only guess really...

reply to post by CHA0S


I think that also since it seems to be 62-64 million year cycles and not exactly 62 million, I mean, two million years is a long time for -us-. And if something happens, why worry about it? Nothing we can do. If it's a natural cycle like that, that's how it works. I like catastrophist theories, maybe because I'm a pessimist hahaha. I think maybe this thread would do... better... if it wasn't tied to the 2012 theory. But maybe you're right. Maybe the Mayans could calculate something like that, I certainly think it's possible because their mathematics are so advanced. But perhaps their numbers were off, because the exact cycle does not seem to be precise either. It's just the asteroid that gets me. That did seem to be the cause for a mass extinction and it could not be caused by radiation... maybe magnetic changes, which would account for the polar switch theory. But generally a theory of cyclical catastrophes... in general... that happen just because of random events and averages, I think that theory might stand up better.

I mean, I'll be throwing an intense party in 2012 (I'll be 21! Yay, good news for me.) but I won't be betting my life on it, you know? Just a tad scared, but getting a good time out of an excuse to go crazy.

Not surprised to find this an old story, but surprised it's as recent as 2005.

The idea of such an extinction cycle has been around since 1984s (Raup & Sepkoski) - originally calculated at 26 million years. But this cycle does not in fact fit the data and even a 20.5 million year cycle scores only a 50% success rate. A 62 million year cycle misses even more.

There may be something in it. But some extinctions occur outside of the cycle and on many occasions no extinction occurs.

Likewise, there have been many big impacts without causing an extinction event.

The best fit actually comes with marine trangression/anoxia events. For which there is no external cause, just boring plate tectonics.

I thoroughly recommend Tony Hallam's book Catastrophes and lesser calamities to anyone interested in this subject


[edit on 13-4-2009 by Essan]

Since inherently most estimates are approximate, even with an accuracy rate of even 99.99% that would provide a buffer of 625,000 years. I think we're ok...

But this cycle does not in fact fit the data and even a 20.5 million year cycle scores only a 50% success rate. A 62 million year cycle misses even more.

You must understand that they made a whole new extinction graph based on only the extensive fossil research and it showed beyond a doubt that a mass extinction does infact occur every 62 million years. They said the chances of such results being mere coincidence were extremely minute. As I said, the classic graph doesn't show the 62 million year extinctions because they are probably not to devestating although I wouldn't underestimate them. The classic graph is actually showing other random, and non-related extinctions that have occured...like comet strikes and the such...large natural disasters which make them easily detectable. The last one which killed the dinosaurs happened very close to when the last 62 million year extinction would have occured and when the planet would have been crossing the galactic belt.

They got bombarded with a number of devastating events. I think it was the comet that amplified the normal event which happens every 62 million years. It was probably as the Earth went through the galactic belt (where most of the galaxies mass is located), it got hit with a comet, and then the crossover, which is what normally causes the 62 million year mass extinction, just topped it off

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
Maybe the Mayans could calculate something like that, I certainly think it's possible because their mathematics are so advanced.

To be frank, I actually think estraterrestrial intelligence told them. No matter how good their math was, or their knowledge of atsronomy, they couldn't have figured that out without the right base of modern scientific fact and equipment.

Originally posted by Choronzon
Since inherently most estimates are approximate, even with an accuracy rate of even 99.99% that would provide a buffer of 625,000 years. I think we're ok...

Yes, it could be up to 5 million years off I think they said, but with all the stuff surrounding 2012, and the mayan calander...it seems pretty weird...I just want to know one thing which I was getting to at the end of the OP...WHEN THE HELL ARE WE PASSING THROUGH THE GALACTIC BELT?!? It seems they can't get it freaking straight...I've heard a variety of dates...including past dates...if it's 2012...I think we have a clear cut answer as to when the next mass extinction in the cycle will occur.

[edit on 13/4/09 by CHA0S]

Originally posted by CHA0S

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
Maybe the Mayans could calculate something like that, I certainly think it's possible because their mathematics are so advanced.

To be frank, I actually think estraterrestrial intelligence told them. No matter how good their math was, or their knowledge of atsronomy, they couldn't have figured that out without the right base of modern scientific fact and equipment.

As I said, death cult propaganda by Luciferians.

reply to post by Salt of the Earth

Originally posted by Salt of the Earth
As I said, death cult propaganda by Luciferians.

Gotta love it...yes...we all know it's death cult propaganda by the Luciferian God-Men...lets move on...

[edit on 14/4/09 by CHA0S]

I think this passing of the galactic plane is fascinating stuff. What does it mean? Who knows? When you look at the mass die off charts, available in the third link the op provides (Thanks for the excellent research) I would have to say that there really isn't all that clear of a pattern. If our journey through the solar system was the major cause of these die offs, then I'd think that the pattern would be a lot more clear.

Gotta think that if our solar system is passing through the galactic plane in 2012, something is going to happen, more than the average evening of blitzed celebration. I'm thinking spiritual enlightenment. Again, I don't know why, but that seems to be the direction my instincts are moving me, that and I have this book I am hoping sell.

Last time we passed through this plane was thirty some million years ago? For the life of me, I can't remember what I was doing back then.

the last mass extinction event was about 12,900 years ago.

Pleistocene megafauna extinction.

www.pbs.org...
en.wikipedia.org...
www.saguaro-juniper.com...
www.pnas.org... type=HWCIT

that leaves 62 million more years to the next event.

reply to post by ANNED

I have explained this twice already...

You must understand that they made a whole new extinction graph based on only the extensive fossil research and it showed beyond a doubt that a mass extinction does infact occur every 62 million years. They said the chances of such results being mere coincidence were extremely minute.

All other mass extinctions that occur at other times are random and not part of a cyle. I suspect they are usually larger and easily measurable via means other than an extensive fossil study. Also, the mass extintion you refered to was restricted to South America, I suspect the 62 million year one is world wide, but less hazardous.

[edit on 14/4/09 by CHA0S]

reply to post by CHA0S

I'm not sure what graph that is...but I did already cover that:

Er, how do you know you've already covered it if you don't even know what the graph is? The graph itself is a visual representation of the numerous extinction events. There have been six major extinction level events, including the one we're supposedly in now. However, the major ones do not adhere to a 65-million year cycle, and the lesser extinction events do not show any apparent pattern coinciding with what you're proposing. If there is a cycle, then the magnitude of the event is essentially indistinguishable from other minor to major extinction level events. This prompts a big - whoo-hoo - who cares? All it would do is prompt studies to fill in a few more gaps in our understanding of what caused some extinctions - but overall they'd still be lost in a varying sea of other extinction level events.

I am coming into this a bit bias, because the argument is not terribly convincing - nor is it of dire importance to us. As another poster above said, there's a huge time-frame window and likelihood of it occurring in our lives is minimal. Further, we've already got our own human-caused extinction event to worry about.

Not to mention it is INCREDIBLY suspect that the cycle just happens to be 65 million years - implying that we should run for the hills, because the next one is upon us since the last major extinction event most people are familiar with is the K/T extinction which ended the Dinosaur's reign. Oh oh! And 2012 is coming up! Sweet justification! Bleh.

Insofar as crossing galactic planes, I've yet to see a single convincing argument that we're even actually going to be crossing this plane, let alone that it would have any detrimental effect on us. It reminds me of the supposed planetary alignment (despite the fact that not all planets are on the same orbital plane as the Earth) in 2000 that was supposed to send the Earth off kilter due to gravity resonance or some bullox.

Finally, regarding the Mayans - I still don't see how their knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, or physics is anything so extraordinary that it must be attributed to UFOs or the supernatural. The Mayan empire was extremely long lived, but it didn't really hit it's peak until well into the AD calendar. Unfortunately, they didn't have detailed records and documentation of their discoveries - leaving a lot of room for what I call the "Aliens of the Gaps" scenario. Sort of like the God of the Gaps, but with UFOs wherein we fill gaps in our knowledge with supernatural causes.

However, I notice that nobody generally attributes the advancements of Greek knowledge to UFOs. Nobody speculates that Aristarchus had divine alien knowledge handed to him when he correctly argued for not only the Heliocentric model - but correctly placed the planets and the stars in their proper places within that model. Nobody claims alien intervention when Eratosthenes was able to (within 1% accuracy) correctly measure the diameter of the Earth - from which he and his contemporaries could use the arch of the Earth's shadow on the moon during a lunar eclipse to measure the diameter of the moon, it's distance from Earth, and it's orbital velocity, all with rather impressive accuracy. You know how they did it? They used two sticks and some math. Hardly high tech.

Perhaps, though, this is because the Greeks had something the Mayans did not. A penchant for documenting debates, writing books, and making reasoned arguments. Astronomy to the Mayans was deeply tied to their religion - so discoveries about our universe may have been to them sacred and debated only within certain circles of priests - of which no records were made or have survived. Thus, the lack of documentation leaves huge gaps in the methodologies they used - making advanced knowledge seemingly appear out of nowhere as if given to them.

We don't even know when these discoveries were made. The Mayan empire had been around since 2,000 BC - but didn't hit it's peak of development until somewhere between 250 ~ 900AD. The Greek Hellenistic Period ended about 314AD, leading Europe into the Dark Ages. So it can't really be argued that the Mayan's were far more advanced in their knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, architecture, etc, than any other culture at same general times.

Hell, Hero of Alexandria was building steam engines and writing books on programmable automatons (androids) - around 40AD. Where were the Mayan androids? If the Greeks could reach such an advanced state all on their own, and we know it because we have either their dissertations or correspondence regarding these works, then why couldn't the Mayans figure out what they did on their own? Were they the "special-ed" of human civilization, needing a kick-start from ETs just to get up to par?

[edit on 14-4-2009 by Lasheic]

Even if we're on the brink of the next one what's the 'brink' relative to a 60 million year cycle? 10,000 years give or take?

I'm confident mass natural extinction isnt going to happen in my lifetime. Mass man-made extinction however....