During the Permian, climate became arid. Reptiles and amphibians diversify. Here in the Ardèche, we find little prints in clastics sedimentary rocks near Largentière.
The Pangea climate
The Permian was characterized by a fairly low water level and the formation of a super-continent : Pangea. Almost all emerged land was agglomerated. The ocean that surrounded the Pangea is called Panthalassa. A such large continent created unique climatic conditions with variations of 40°C a day. Erosion was more important, it’s the reason why Hercynian chain disappeared very quickly. In several species, thermoregulatory sails developped. It allowed to capture and then to evacuate the heat.
The Permian-Triassic crisis
The end of the Permian was marked by one of the most important crisis recorded in the geological story. Around 95% of marine species and 70% of overground species disapeared.