Volcanism, mass extinction, and carbon isotope fluctuations in the Middle Permian of China

Sun, Y.; Bond, David P G; Lai, X.; Wignall, Paul B.; Sun, Yadong; Bond, David P. G.; Izon, Gareth; Newton, Robert J.; Védrine, Stéphanie; Widdowson, Mike; Ali, Jason R.; Lai, Xulong; Jiang, Haishui; Cope, Helen; Vedrine, Stephanie; Bottrell, Simon H.

Abstract

The 260-million-year-old Emeishan volcanic province of southwest China overlies and is interbedded with Middle Permian carbonates that contain a record of the Guadalupian mass extinction. Sections in the region thus provide an opportunity to directly monitor the relative timing of extinction and volcanism within the same locations. These show that the onset of volcanism was marked by both large phreatomagmatic eruptions and extinctions amongst fusulinacean foraminifers and calcareous algae. The temporal coincidence of these two phenomena supports the idea of a cause-and-effect relationship. The crisis predates the onset of a major negative carbon isotope excursion that points to subsequent severe disturbance of the ocean-atmosphere carbon cycle.

Citation

Wignall, P. B., Sun, Y., Bond, D. P. G., Izon, G., Newton, R. J., Védrine, S., Widdowson, M., Ali, J. R., Lai, X., Jiang, H., Cope, H., & Bottrell, S. H. (2009). Volcanism, mass extinction, and carbon isotope fluctuations in the Middle Permian of China. Science, 324(5931), 1179-1182. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1171956

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 26, 2009
• Online Publication Date: May 28, 2009
• Publication Date: May 29, 2009
• Deposit Date: Nov 13, 2014
• Journal: Science
• Print ISSN: 0036-8075
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 324
• Issue: 5931
• Pages: 1179-1182
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1171956
• Keywords: Multidisciplinary
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/465993
• Contract Date: Nov 13, 2014