60
2
March
159
167
10.1111/pala.12283
ERLYKIN, A.D., HARPER, D.A.T., SLOAN, T., WOLFENDALE, A.W. 2017. Mass extinctions over the last 500 myr: an astronomical cause?. Palaeontology, 60, 2, 159-167. DOI: 10.1111/pala.12283
Anatoly D. Erlykin, David A. T. Harper, Terry Sloan, and Arnold W. Wolfendale- Anatoly D. Erlykin - Lebedev Physical Institute Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow Russia (Email: erlykin@sci.lebedev.ru)
- David A. T. Harper - Palaeoecosystems Group Department of Earth Sciences Durham University Durham UK (Email: david.harper@durham.ac.uk)
- David A. T. Harper - Department of Geology Lund University Lund Sweden
- Terry Sloan - Department of Physics Lancaster University Lancaster UK (Email: t.sloan@lancaster.ac.uk)
- Arnold W. Wolfendale - Department of Physics Durham University Durham UK (Email: a.w.wolfendale@durham.ac.uk)
- Issue published online: 22 February 2017
- Manuscript Accepted: 19 January 2017
- Manuscript Received: 09 September 2016
A Fourier analysis of the magnitudes and timing of the Phanerozoic mass extinctions (MEs) demonstrates that many of the periodicities claimed in other analyses are not statistically significant. Moreover we show that the periodicities associated with oscillations of the Solar System about the galactic plane are too irregular to give narrow peaks in the Fourier periodograms. This leads us to conclude that, apart from possibly a small number of major events, astronomical causes for MEs can largely be ruled out.
Data for this study are available in the Dryad Digital Repository https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dk385 Wiley Online Library (Free Access)