Synchrony and Causal Relations Between Permian-Triassic Boundary Crises and Siberian Flood Volcanism

Abstract

The Permian-Triassic boundary records the most severe mass extinctions in Earth's history. Siberian flood volcanism, the most profuse known such subaerial event, produced 2 million to 3 million cubic kilometers of volcanic ejecta in approximately 1 million years or less. Analysis of (40)Ar/(39)Ar data from two tuffs in southern China yielded a date of 250.0 +/- 0.2 million years ago for the Permian-Triassic boundary, which is comparable to the inception of main stage Siberian flood volcanism at 250.0 +/- 0.3 million years ago. Volcanogenic sulfate aerosols and the dynamic effects of the Siberian plume likely contributed to environmental extrema that led to the mass extinctions.

High-precision timeline for Earth’s most severe extinction

“…Many have proposed that the end-Permian extinction was triggered by the eruption/intrusion of the Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province, which is hypothesized to have been of short (∼1-2 Ma) duration, to have occurred at approximately the same time as the extinction, and to have generated the large volume of volatiles via degassing of lavas and sediments required to drive such dramatic atmospheric and biotic response (2, 8,[42][43][44][45][46]. The end-Permian extinction event occurred suddenly and rapidly (61 ± 48 ka) in an interval much shorter than current estimates for the total duration of Siberian Traps magmatism, suggesting that, similar to the end-Triassic extinction event, a single pulse of magmatism may be the most critical for triggering dramatic environmental change (43,47,48).…”

Growth and demise of Permian biogenic chert along northwest Pangea: evidence for end-Permian collapse of thermohaline circulation

“…However, this trend sharply reverses near the Middle/Late Permian boundary at a time when chert deposition appears to have increased worldwide. Likewise, the end-Permian massive eruption of the Siberian traps (Campbell et al, 1992;Renne et al, 1995) coincides with the collapse, not the outburst, of chert factories around the world.…”

δ13Corgchemostratigraphy of the Permian‐Triassic boundary in the Maitai Group, New Zealand: Evidence for high‐latitudinal methane release

“…It is not certair though, whether this scenario could explain a 4%o shift i: the whole ocean as 6500-8400 Gt of organic carbon would have been required to produce such a shift (Erwin 1993)-an amount that exceeds the total reservoir of oil, gas, ane coal (total of 5000 Gt; Erwin 1993). Other interpretationî nclude large input of mantle-derived CO2 from the eruption of the Siberian traps (Erwin 1993(Erwin ,1994Renne et al 1995) Given the isotopic value of volcanic CO2 (-5%o; Erwin 1993), the CO 2 released from the Siberian traps could nohave contributed significantly to the isotopic excursion (Gruszczynski et al 1989;Erwin 1993). Wang et al (1994 proposed a collapse of surface-water primary productivity analogous to the "Strangelove" ocean of the CretaceousTertiary (K/T) boundary (Hsu & McKenzie 1990;Kumj-1991).…”

“…The marine regression during the Changxingian Stage would have substantially lowered hydrostatic pressure in shelf environments and could have promoted clathrate destabilisation and methane release. Additional greenhouse gases such as CO2 and H2O from the eruption of the Siberian traps during the latest Changxingian Stage (250 ± 0.2 Ma) may have furthered paleoclimatic warming (Erwin 1994;Renne et al 1995;Bowring et al 1998). In response to this warming trend, permafrost in the polar regions could have become increasingly unstable, resulting in additional release of methane and CO2, adding to further greenhouse warming Retallack & Krull 1999).…”