Publication
Centennial scale sequences of environmental deterioration preceded the end-Permian mass extinction
Publisher:
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date:
14-04-2023
DOI:
10.1038/S41467-023-37717-0
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 s ling 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 2 -dibenzofuran, C 30 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.