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{{Short description|Extinction event of the early Cretaceous Period}}
The '''Aptian extinction''' was an [[extinction event]] of the early [[Cretaceous Period]]. It is dated to c. 116 or 117 million years ago, in the middle of the [[Aptian]] stage of the [[geological time scale]], and has sometimes been termed the '''mid-Aptian extinction event''' as a result.

It is classified as a minor extinction event, rather than a major event like the famous [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event]] that brought about the end of the "age of dinosaurs" and the [[Mesozoic Era]]. The Aptian event is most readily detected among marine rather than terrestrial fossil deposits. Nonetheless, "From a palaeobotanical perspective, the Aptian Extinction Event is an episode of importance, deserving a higher status among other minor events."<ref>Archangelsky, Sergio. "[http://bomax.botany.pl/cgi-bin/pubs/data/article_pdf?id=564 The Ticó Flora (Patagonia) and the Aptian Extinction Event]." ''Acta Paleobotanica'' 41(2), 2001, pp. 115–22.</ref>

The Aptian event may have been causally connected with the [[Rahjamal Traps]] [[Volcano|volcanism]] episode in the Bengal region of India, associated with the [[Kerguelen hotspot]] of volcanic activity.<ref>[[Vincent Courtillot|Courtillot, Vincent]]. ''Evolutionary Catastrophes: The Science of Mass Extinctions.'' Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999; p. 95.</ref> (At the time in question, c. 116–117 [[Annum|Ma]], India was located in the southern Indian Ocean; plate tectonics had not yet moved the Indian landmass into its present position.)
Note that the [[stegosaur]] group of [[dinosaurs]] went extinct around this time. ''[[Wuerhosaurus]]'', probably the last of the stegosaurs, lived during this time. The [[Tritylodontidae|tritylodont]]s, the last surviving relatives (but not members) of the [[mammals]] went extinct around this time too. These extinctions may be associated with this event.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

==References==
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[[Category:Early Cretaceous extinctions]]
[[Category:Extinction events]]
[[Category:Aptian]]