Centennial scale sequences of environmental deterioration preceded the end-Permian mass extinction.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37059714.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-37717-0 and PMC identifier 10104797.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The exact drivers for the end-Permian mass extinction (EPME) remain controversial. Here we focus on a ~10,000 yr record from the marine type section at Meishan, China, preceding and covering the onset of the EPME. Analyses of polyaromatic hydrocarbons at sampling intervals representing 1.5-6.3 yr reveal recurrent pulses of wildfires in the terrestrial realm. Massive input pulses of soil-derived organic matter and clastic materials into the oceans are indicated by patterns of C<sub>2</sub>-dibenzofuran, C<sub>30</sub> hopane and aluminum. Importantly, in the ~2,000 years preceding the main phase of the EPME, we observe a clearly defined sequence of wildfires, soil weathering, and euxinia provoked by the fertilization of the marine environment with soil-derived nutrients. Euxinia is indicated by sulfur and iron concentrations. Our study suggests that, in South China, centennial scale processes led to a collapse of the terrestrial ecosystem ~300 yr (120-480 yr; ± 2 s.d.) before the onset of the EPME and that this collapse induced euxinic conditions in the ocean, ultimately resulting in the demise of marine ecosystems.