/sci/ - Science & Math

>>9030287
A lot of those events wouldn't be survivable for megafauna - like us. For the first (and the worst), there was nothing on land, and come the second, next to no animals on land. On top of that, they were all comparatively minor compared to other events we know could happen.

We're also now vulnerable to major disasters that even our ancestors were immune to. An X3 solar flare, like the one recorded in the 1800's that burned out huge swaths of telegraph lines and equipment, would wipe out our power grid in such a way that it couldn't be repaired for years. That may not lead to extinction, but it certainly wouldn't be pretty - and we missed a similar one in July 2012 by five months in our orbit. An X20 solar flare, on the other hand, would funnel the plasma built up in the radiation belts to the surface, and liquify it - which would basically end everything not in the deepest ocean.

Meanwhile, in November 2003, an X45 solar flare crossed our orbit. Had it happened the same way in September instead, we wouldn't be shitposting on 4chan right now.