Publications by authors named "Robert S Nicoll"
Past studies of the end-Permian extinction (EPE), the largest biotic crisis of the Phanerozoic, have not resolved the timing of events in southern high-latitudes. Here we use palynology coupled with high-precision CA-ID-TIMS dating of euhedral zircons from continental sequences of the Sydney Basin, Australia, to show that the collapse of the austral Permian Glossopteris flora occurred prior to 252.3 Ma (~370 kyrs before the main marine extinction).
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- * Previous beliefs about high temperatures (up to 70 degrees C) suggested major changes in the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater over time, but this study challenges that idea.
- * The favorable climate during the Ordovician is linked to the significant increase in biodiversity observed, indicating that climate was a key factor in promoting the proliferation of life during this era.