AI Article Synopsis
- The end-Permian mass extinction marked the largest loss of biodiversity in Earth's history, with key data collected from sedimentary sections in South China to understand its timing and causes.
- High-precision U-Pb dating indicates the extinction peak occurred just before 252.28 million years ago, following a notable decline in carbon isotopes and correlated with significant δ(13)C changes.
- The extinction event, lasting under 200,000 years, affected both marine and terrestrial environments and was possibly triggered by a large release of carbon dioxide and/or methane, contributing to widespread wildfires.
Article Abstract
The end-Permian mass extinction was the most severe biodiversity crisis in Earth history. To better constrain the timing, and ultimately the causes of this event, we collected a suite of geochronologic, isotopic, and biostratigraphic data on several well-preserved sedimentary sections in South China. High-precision U-Pb dating reveals that the extinction peak occurred just before 252.28 ± 0.08 million years ago, after a decline of 2 per mil (‰) in δ(13)C over 90,000 years, and coincided with a δ(13)C excursion of -5‰ that is estimated to have lasted ≤20,000 years. The extinction interval was less than 200,000 years and synchronous in marine and terrestrial realms; associated charcoal-rich and soot-bearing layers indicate widespread wildfires on land. A massive release of thermogenic carbon dioxide and/or methane may have caused the catastrophic extinction.
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