Severity: 4th worst
Cause: Central Atlantic Flood Basalts, meteorite impact (?)
Climate: Hot; Pangaea mostly desert
Aftermath: Dinosaurs diversify
Only 50 My after the End-Permian extinction, 65% of species and 12% of families were wiped out during the End-Triassic extinction.
The exact cause of this extinction is still not very well constrained. It could possibly be due to flood basalts again. While the Siberian Traps had certainly cooled down, the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province was highly active, as the supercontinent Pangaea was beginning to breakup.
A meteorite impact has also been offered as a possible cause. However, the Manicouagan crater in Québec that has been offered as the possible impact site is slightly too old to be a very likely candidate at around 206-214 Ma.
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Emily Zawacki, Ph.D. 