It is assumed that in the Guzhangian the distance between the Earth and the Moon was 370,180 ± 1220 km (today, for comparison, it is 384,000 km). The length of an earthly day at that time was about 21.58 hours.[6]
Major events
The species radiation occurred in the interval from the middle–late Drumian to middle Guzhangian. The extinction began in the middle of Guzhangian and lasted 3 million years until the middle of the Paibian age. As a result of this extinction, species diversity was reduced by 45%. Two phases of extinction can be traced in the sediments of South China: the first, with a slight decline in species, lasted about 1.8 million years; the second, with a sharper decline in richness, lasted 1.2 million years, more in the Paibian. After the extinction, species diversity returned to its previous level.[7] From the Guzhangian to Jiangshanian, the oceans experienced a gradual depletion of oxygen, which affected bottom-dwelling inhabitants. This process and the SPICE event, associated with it, likely became the cause of the extinction.[7]
^Shanchi, Peng; Babcock, Loren; Jingxun, Zuo; Huanling, Lin; Xuejian, Zhu; Xianfeng, Yang; Robison, Richard; Yuping, Qi; Bagnoli, Gabriella; Yong’an, Chen. "PROPOSED GLOBAL STANDARD STRATOTYPE-SECTION AND POINT FOR THE GUZHANGIAN STAGE (CAMBRIAN)"(PDF). International Subcommission on Cretaceous Stratigraphy. International Subcommission on Cambrian Stratigraphy. Archived(PDF) from the original on 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2024-04-04.