Geological Society of America

T38 High-Resolution Investigations of the Permian-Triassic Transition

Sunday, 22 October 2017
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Room 611

MERCURY ENRICHMENT PROVIDES EVIDENCE OF GLOBAL VOLCANIC EFFECTS DURING THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC BOUNDARY CRISIS

Paper number: T38-6
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:40 PM – 3:00 PM

Authors

Jun Shen Presenting Author
Yale University, New Haven, CT
Thomas J. Algeo
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
Noah Planavsky
Yale University, New Haven, CT
Qinglai Feng
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan Hubei
Zhong Qiang Chen
China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, Hubei
Jianxin Yu
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan
Jiubin Chen
hinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang
Shengliu Yuan
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang
Shengliu Yuan
Guiyang
Lian Zhou
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan
Lian Zhou
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan Hubei

Abstract

The ultimate cause of the ~252-Ma end-Permian mass extinction, the largest biocrisis of the Phanerozoic, is widely regarded as eruption of the Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province, yet little evidence of direct volcanic effects on latest Permian marine systems has been presented to date. Mercury (Hg) is a useful proxy of volcanic inputs, and high levels of Hg have been reported around the Permian-Triassic boundary from sections proximal to the Siberian Traps (e.g., in Arctic Canada).

In this contribution, we document Hg peaks from eleven Permian-Triassic sections with a near-global distribution. Hg isotopic data for a subset of these sections provide insights regarding processes of Hg transportation and deposit. Similar values of Δ¹⁹⁹Hg from shallow- to deep-water sections near the extinction interval indicate rapid atmosphere Hg source to the pelagic ocean. Our dataset provides the first evidence of direct, global-scale effects of Siberian Traps volcanism during the Permian-Triassic transition.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 49, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2017AM-302655

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