Mercury rising: New evidence that volcanism triggered the late Devonian extinction

The late Devonian extinction, about 370 million years ago, is one of the ‘Big Five.’ It killed up to 80 percent of species, obliterating the lavish Devonian coral reef ecosystem. The final pulse in this multi-step crisis, called the Frasnian-Famennian event, was its most devastating. But what, exactly, did the killing?