In the last decade, major advances have been made in our understanding of the end-Triassic mass extinction, related environmental changes, and volcanism of the Central Atlantic magmatic province. Studies of various fossil groups and synoptic analyses of global diversity document the extinction and subsequent recovery. The concomitant environmental changes are manifested in a series of carbon isotope excursions (CIE), suggesting perturbations in the global carbon cycle. Besides the earlier-recognized initial and main negative anomalies, a more complex picture is emerging with other CIEs, both negative and positive, prior to and following the Triassic-Jurassic boundary. The source of isotopically light carbon...