--- product_id: 138970473 title: "Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction: The Late Paleozoic Ice Age World Paperback – Illustrated, August 7, 2018" brand: "george mcghee jr." price: "VT20130" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 4 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/138970473-carboniferous-giants-and-mass-extinction-the-late-paleozoic-ice-age store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction: The Late Paleozoic Ice Age World Paperback – Illustrated, August 7, 2018 **Brand:** george mcghee jr. **Price:** VT20130 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction: The Late Paleozoic Ice Age World Paperback – Illustrated, August 7, 2018 by george mcghee jr. - **How much does it cost?** VT20130 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/138970473-carboniferous-giants-and-mass-extinction-the-late-paleozoic-ice-age) ## Best For - george mcghee jr. enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted george mcghee jr. brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction: The Late Paleozoic Ice Age World Paperback – Illustrated, August 7, 2018 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81dooWQCI4L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Scholarly and Very Well Referenced Book *by T***Y on June 11, 2022* First off this book is not a casual read. If one has some basic knowledge of the evolution and changes to the earth's environment and geology through time as well as some background in the evolution of life, the book may be easier to follow. This is not meant as a criticism but rather a compliment to emphasize the scholarly nature of the book. George McGhee describes the earth's environment, flora and fauna from the late Devonian, through the Carboniferous and Permian, and into the early Triassic periods spanning roughly 120 million years. This is done in an attempt to understand and explain the massive Permnian extinction. What I appreciated most was that the author was willing to explore alternative hypotheses in consideration of the geological and biological events that took place over this time period. One must keep in mind that the ideas being put forth are based on geochemical analysis and the fossil record. In the end however, the reason(s) for the Permian extinction are still under debate. McGhee leans heavily toward, and provides a strong case, that massive volcanic activity set off a chain of events that lead to the extinction. He did this in a very compelling fashion. The other value of this book is that it is extensively referenced, providing a wealth of subsequent reading on this topic.Perhaps the only criticism I have is that McGhee largely ignores the contribution of phtytoplankton to atmospheric oxygen levels. Today they contribute upwards of 50% of O2 to the atmosphere The precipitous drop in atmospheric O2 at the end of the Permian may well have to do in part to loss of land plants and to the oxidation of methane released into the atmosphere through action of volcanic plumes rising through carbon rich deposits. However the subsequent acidification and heating of the oceans must have had a very significant effect on phtytoplankton and marine O2 production. It would be interesting to learn of any work done on this aspect of the extinction ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fascinating Perspective of the Paleozoic Era *by W***C on June 27, 2024* The book presents a fascinating and detailed view of events and processes of the Paleozoic Era including rain forest diversification and expansion in the Carboniferous period as well as factors controlling ice ages and snowball Earth events throughout geologic history. The author presents a more detailed view of processes and events that likely contributed to the Late Paleozoic Ice Age, the longest ice age on Earth in the past 541 million year, as well as events likely contributing to the end-Permian mass extinction (the largest extinction event on Earth.) The tables and figures are excellent to enhance understanding. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Great Look at an Important Geological Era *by P***N on August 12, 2020* I've been reading books on evolution: The Evolution of Avians, The Evolution of Mammals, the Evolution of Insects (Bugs), etc. I wanted a book that took a specific era and tied everything that took place in that era together, a cross section rather than a vertical emphasis, if you would. This book fovuses on the Carboniferous and the Permian, leading up to the great Permian Extinction at the end of the Paleozoic (90% of living things die). The focus is on early plant forests, fish and amphibians and insects and not on flashy stuff like dinosaurs, but for all that, its a very intersting book. The writing is good and there are a lot of illustrations -- although the illustrations could be better. The book did just what I wanted, described the climate and techtonic movements and then showed how the various animal and plants co-evolved. I've enjoyed the book a lot. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/138970473-carboniferous-giants-and-mass-extinction-the-late-paleozoic-ice-age](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/138970473-carboniferous-giants-and-mass-extinction-the-late-paleozoic-ice-age) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-10*