The greatest Phanerozoic mass extinction happened at the end-Permian to earliest Triassic. About 95% species, 82% genera, and more than half families became extinct, constituting the sole macro-mass extinction in geol...The greatest Phanerozoic mass extinction happened at the end-Permian to earliest Triassic. About 95% species, 82% genera, and more than half families became extinct, constituting the sole macro-mass extinction in geological history. This event not only caused the great extinction but also destroyed the 200 Myr-long Paleozoic marine ecosystem, prompted its transition to Mesozoic ecosystem, and induced coal gap on land as well as reef gap and chert gap in ocean. The biotic crisis during the Paleozoic-Mesozoic transition was a long process of co-evolution between geospheres and biosphere. The event sequence at the Permian-Triassic boundary （PTB） reveals two-episodic pattern of rapidly deteriorating global changes and biotic mass ex- tinction and the intimate relationship between them. The severe global changes coupling multiple geospheres may have affect- ed the Pangea integration on the Earth＇s surface spheres, which include： the Pangea integration→enhanced mountain height and basin depth, changes of wind and ocean current systems; enhanced ocean basin depth→the greatest Phanerozoic regression at PTB, disappearance of epeiric seas and subsequent rapid transgression; the Pangea integration→thermal isolation effect of continental lithosphere and decrease of mid-ocean ridges→development of continental volcanism; two-episode volcanism causing LIPs of the Emeishan Basalt and the Siberian Trap （25%251 Ma）→global warming and mass extinction; continental aridification and replacement of monsoon system by latitudinal wind system→destruction of vegetation; enhanced weathering and CH4 emission→negative excursion of δ^13C; mantle plume→crust doming→regression; possible relation between the Illawarra magnetic reversal and the PTB extinction, and so on. Mantle plume produced the Late Permian LIPs and mantle convection may have caused the process of the Pangea integration. Subduction, delamination, and accumulation of the earth＇s cool lithospheric material at the ＂D＂ layer of CMB started mantle plume by heat compensation and disturbed the outer core ther- too-convection, and the latter in turn would generate the mid-Permian geomagnetic reversal. These core and mantle perturbations may have caused the Pangea integration and two successive LIPs in the Permian, and probably finally the mass extinction at the PTB.展开更多
Carbonate carbon isotope （δ^13Ccarb） has received considerable attention in the Permian-Triassic transition for its rapid negative shift coinciding with the great end-Permian mass extinction event. The mechanism ha...Carbonate carbon isotope （δ^13Ccarb） has received considerable attention in the Permian-Triassic transition for its rapid negative shift coinciding with the great end-Permian mass extinction event. The mechanism has long been debated for such a c~ δ^13Ccarb negative excursion through the end-Permian crisis and subsequent large perturbations in the entire Early Triassic. A δ^13Ccarb depth gradient is observed at the Permian-Triassic boundary sections of different water-depths, i.e., the Yangou, Meishan, and Shangsi sections, and such a large δ^13Ccarb-depth gradient near the end-Permian mass extinction horizon is believed to result from a stratified Paleotethys Ocean with widespread anoxic/euxinic deep water. The evolution of δ^13Ccarb-depth gradient com- bined with paleontological and geochemical data suggests that abundant cyanobacteria and vigorous biological pump in the immediate aftermath of the end-Permian extinction would be the main cause of the large δ^13Ccarb-depth gradient, and the enhanced continental weathering with the mass extinction on land provides a mass amount of nutriment for the flourishing cyanobacteria. Photic zone anoxia/euxinia from the onset of chemocline upward excursion might be the direct cause for the mass extinction whereas the instability of chemocline in the stratified Early Triassic ocean would be the reason for the delayed and involuted biotic recovery.展开更多
The end-Paleozoic biotic crisis is characterized by two-phase mass extinctions;the first strike,resulting in a large decline of sessile benthos in shallow marine environments,occurred at the end-Guadalupian time.In or...The end-Paleozoic biotic crisis is characterized by two-phase mass extinctions;the first strike,resulting in a large decline of sessile benthos in shallow marine environments,occurred at the end-Guadalupian time.In order to explore the mechanism of organisms' demise,detailed analyses of depositional facies,fossil record,and carbonate carbon isotopic variations were carried out on a Maokou-Wujiaping boundary succession in northwestern Sichuan,SW China.Our data reveal a negative carbon isotopic excursion across the boundary;the gradual excursion with relatively low amplitude(2.15‰) favors a long-term influx of isotopically light 12 C sourced by the Emeishan basalt trap,rather than by rapid releasing of gas hydrate.The temporal coincidence of the beginning of accelerated negative carbon isotopic excursion with onsets of sea-level fall and massive biotic demise suggests a cause-effect link between them.Intensive volcanic activity of the Emeishan trap and sea-level fall could have resulted in detrimental environmental stresses and habitat loss for organisms,particularly for those benthic dwellers,leading to their subsequent massive extinction.展开更多
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(Grant No.2011CB808800)the 111 Project(Grant No.B08030)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.40621002,40830212&40921062)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(CUG130407)
文摘The greatest Phanerozoic mass extinction happened at the end-Permian to earliest Triassic. About 95% species, 82% genera, and more than half families became extinct, constituting the sole macro-mass extinction in geological history. This event not only caused the great extinction but also destroyed the 200 Myr-long Paleozoic marine ecosystem, prompted its transition to Mesozoic ecosystem, and induced coal gap on land as well as reef gap and chert gap in ocean. The biotic crisis during the Paleozoic-Mesozoic transition was a long process of co-evolution between geospheres and biosphere. The event sequence at the Permian-Triassic boundary （PTB） reveals two-episodic pattern of rapidly deteriorating global changes and biotic mass ex- tinction and the intimate relationship between them. The severe global changes coupling multiple geospheres may have affect- ed the Pangea integration on the Earth＇s surface spheres, which include： the Pangea integration→enhanced mountain height and basin depth, changes of wind and ocean current systems; enhanced ocean basin depth→the greatest Phanerozoic regression at PTB, disappearance of epeiric seas and subsequent rapid transgression; the Pangea integration→thermal isolation effect of continental lithosphere and decrease of mid-ocean ridges→development of continental volcanism; two-episode volcanism causing LIPs of the Emeishan Basalt and the Siberian Trap （25%251 Ma）→global warming and mass extinction; continental aridification and replacement of monsoon system by latitudinal wind system→destruction of vegetation; enhanced weathering and CH4 emission→negative excursion of δ^13C; mantle plume→crust doming→regression; possible relation between the Illawarra magnetic reversal and the PTB extinction, and so on. Mantle plume produced the Late Permian LIPs and mantle convection may have caused the process of the Pangea integration. Subduction, delamination, and accumulation of the earth＇s cool lithospheric material at the ＂D＂ layer of CMB started mantle plume by heat compensation and disturbed the outer core ther- too-convection, and the latter in turn would generate the mid-Permian geomagnetic reversal. These core and mantle perturbations may have caused the Pangea integration and two successive LIPs in the Permian, and probably finally the mass extinction at the PTB.
基金supported by "973 Program" (Grant No. 2011CB808800)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40830212,40921062,41172312)+2 种基金Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 200804910503)Fund of State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology(Grant No. BGEG0802)Scientific and Technological Project of Jiangxi (Grant No. GJJ10623)
文摘Carbonate carbon isotope （δ^13Ccarb） has received considerable attention in the Permian-Triassic transition for its rapid negative shift coinciding with the great end-Permian mass extinction event. The mechanism has long been debated for such a c~ δ^13Ccarb negative excursion through the end-Permian crisis and subsequent large perturbations in the entire Early Triassic. A δ^13Ccarb depth gradient is observed at the Permian-Triassic boundary sections of different water-depths, i.e., the Yangou, Meishan, and Shangsi sections, and such a large δ^13Ccarb-depth gradient near the end-Permian mass extinction horizon is believed to result from a stratified Paleotethys Ocean with widespread anoxic/euxinic deep water. The evolution of δ^13Ccarb-depth gradient com- bined with paleontological and geochemical data suggests that abundant cyanobacteria and vigorous biological pump in the immediate aftermath of the end-Permian extinction would be the main cause of the large δ^13Ccarb-depth gradient, and the enhanced continental weathering with the mass extinction on land provides a mass amount of nutriment for the flourishing cyanobacteria. Photic zone anoxia/euxinia from the onset of chemocline upward excursion might be the direct cause for the mass extinction whereas the instability of chemocline in the stratified Early Triassic ocean would be the reason for the delayed and involuted biotic recovery.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No. 40839907)
文摘The end-Paleozoic biotic crisis is characterized by two-phase mass extinctions;the first strike,resulting in a large decline of sessile benthos in shallow marine environments,occurred at the end-Guadalupian time.In order to explore the mechanism of organisms' demise,detailed analyses of depositional facies,fossil record,and carbonate carbon isotopic variations were carried out on a Maokou-Wujiaping boundary succession in northwestern Sichuan,SW China.Our data reveal a negative carbon isotopic excursion across the boundary;the gradual excursion with relatively low amplitude(2.15‰) favors a long-term influx of isotopically light 12 C sourced by the Emeishan basalt trap,rather than by rapid releasing of gas hydrate.The temporal coincidence of the beginning of accelerated negative carbon isotopic excursion with onsets of sea-level fall and massive biotic demise suggests a cause-effect link between them.Intensive volcanic activity of the Emeishan trap and sea-level fall could have resulted in detrimental environmental stresses and habitat loss for organisms,particularly for those benthic dwellers,leading to their subsequent massive extinction.
