Do You Know Once It Rained For 2 Millions Years Straight On Earth?

Our planet, Earth, is full of mysteries. The deeper we go into its formation and composition, the more we are left surprised and spellbound. One such shocking story in the history of Earth is of the Carnian pluvial period, in which it is said that our planet received continuous rain for 2 million years. Today, let’s take a look at the history of this period. According to reports, during the time of Pangea — which was approximately 200–300 million years ago — the Earth was a big supercontinent made up of the entire world’s land mass. Back then, our earth was a very different place.

As per sources, Scientists estimate that rain fell for a duration of one to two million years throughout that time. In the 1970s and 1980s, geologists discovered unusual layers deposited in some of the ancient rocks that date some 232-4 million years back. While one team in the UK examined a layer of grey rock embedded within the region’s well-known red stone, while another group researchers in the eastern Alps examined a layer of siliciclastic sedimentation formed within carbonate formations. These two findings, along with other studies from different parts of the world, came to a similar conclusion: at one point, the Earth had quite a long dry spell, and then it began to rain.

Geologists were able to determine that there was an exceptionally wet period at the start of the dinosaur era. This period has come to be known as the Carnian pluvial event or Carnian pluvial episode.

According to scientists, the increase in humidity is the significant reason for the massive rise in moisture levels, which possibly triggered a massive volcanic eruption in the Wrangellia Large Igneous Province.

As a result it rained for millions of years. This event further led to the rise in global temperatures, which warmed the seas and increased the amount of moisture in the atmosphere.

Research that was published in the Journal of the Geological Society revealed that dinosaurs benefited from the rainy era. This period of increased moisture allowed them to diversify, following a tumultuous era marked by frequent volcanic eruptions.

During this period, many plants and animals died, but dinosaurs got a special benefit from it. Aside from dinosaurs, other animals that flourished during this fast-paced era in Earth’s history were turtles, crocodiles, lizards, and mammals.