Synchrony between the Central Atlantic magmatic province and the Triassic–Jurassic mass-extinction event?

Whiteside, Jessica H.; Olsen, Paul E.; Kent, Dennis V.; Fowell, Sarah J.; Et-Touhami, Mohammed

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.06.035

Cited by 156 publications

(145 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…The Culpeper basin of Virginia and Argana and Central High Atlas basins of Morocco demonstrate that the CAMP eruptions were more extensive than the three flow sequences preserved in the Newark and Hartford basins (23) (Fig. 4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In the northern tropics, the continental extinction is extremely abrupt with the disappearance of about 50% of the palynoflora and a synchronous extinction among tetrapods (16). Subsequently, there was a regional fern spike followed by macrofossil first appearances of several fern taxa and cheirolepidaceous conifers with adaptations for environmental stress (34) coupled with a flood of the pollen species Classopollis meyeriana (23) [seen also in higher latitudes (35)]: These overlap the known approximately 300 ky eruptive maximum of CAMP (23). Footprint evidence indicates that theropod dinosaurs abruptly increased in size and relative abundance during this time (16).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Compound-specific carbon isotopes from Earth’s largest flood basalt eruptions directly linked to the end-Triassic mass extinction

Whiteside

Olsen

Eglinton

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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223

177

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A leading hypothesis explaining Phanerozoic mass extinctions and associated carbon isotopic anomalies is the emission of greenhouse, other gases, and aerosols caused by eruptions of continental flood basalt provinces. However, the necessary serial relationship between these eruptions, isotopic excursions, and extinctions has never been tested in geological sections preserving all three records. The end-Triassic extinction (ETE) at 201.4 Ma is among the largest of these extinctions and is tied to a large negative carbon isotope excursion, reflecting perturbations of the carbon cycle including a transient increase in CO 2 . The cause of the ETE has been inferred to be the eruption of the giant Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP). Here, we show that carbon isotopes of leaf wax derived lipids (n-alkanes), wood, and total organic carbon from two orbitally paced lacustrine sections interbedded with the CAMP in eastern North America show similar excursions to those seen in the mostly marine St. Audrie's Bay section in England. Based on these results, the ETE began synchronously in marine and terrestrial environments slightly before the oldest basalts in eastern North America but simultaneous with the eruption of the oldest flows in Morocco, a CO 2 super greenhouse, and marine biocalcification crisis. Because the temporal relationship between CAMP eruptions, mass extinction, and the carbon isotopic excursions are shown in the same place, this is the strongest case for a volcanic cause of a mass extinction to date.astrochronology | CO2 | Jurassic | large igneous provinces | n-alkane P lants record through photosynthetic pathways the atmospheric values of δ 13 C that in turn reflect the exchangeable surface oceanic carbon reservoir (1). One of the most direct known plant proxies is the δ 13 C alk measurements of n-C 25 -n-C 31 n-alkanes derived from leaf wax lipids of plant cuticles (2). We analyzed δ 13 C alk , the carbon isotopic composition of wood (δ 13 C wood ), and total organic carbon (δ 13 C toc ) from sediments from two overlapping lacustrine sections interbedded with the lavas of the Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP) (3) in eastern North America to obtain a carbon isotope record unambiguously tied to the eruptions and climate proxies to compare with and calibrate organic carbon and carbonate δ 13 C records from elsewhere (3-7). This allows direct determination of the relationship between one of the largest Phanerozoic mass extinctions, the end-Triassic extinction (ETE) (8), carbon isotopic and CO 2 (9) excursions, the biocalcification crisis (10), and their proposed cause, the CAMP (3, 11-13). Core and outcrop samples were obtained from the Newark (New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) and Hartford (Connecticut and Massachusetts) rift basins at 19-20°N paleolatitude (14) in the tropical humid to arid transition of central Pangea (Fig. 1). A hierarchy of Milankovitchforced lake level cycles permeate the sampled strata in these basins, and in conjunction with a high sediment accumulation rate and ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compound-specific carbon isotopes from Earth’s largest flood basalt eruptions directly linked to the end-Triassic mass extinction

Whiteside

Olsen

Eglinton

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

Self Cite

223

177

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“…This biotic crisis at 201.6 Ma is thought to have been caused by eruption of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) flood basalts, which were extruded on land as the Atlantic margins of North America, South America, Europe, and Africa began to rift apart (e.g., Schoene et al, 2010;Whiteside et al, 2010;Blackburn et al, 2013;Percival et al, 2017). Although the extinction event is relatively well-characterized in marine ecosystems, its severity and timing in non-marine environments is still controversial (e.g., Pálfy et al, 2000;Olsen et al, 2002;Tanner et al, 2004;Whiteside et al, 2007Whiteside et al, , 2010Lindström et al, 2017). The main difficult with non-marine records is that their geochronology is poorly constrained (e.g., Mundil et al, 2010;Irmis et al, 2010).…”

Section: The Triassic-jurassic Boundarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleontology of the Bears Ears National Monument: history of exploration and designation of the monument

Uglesich

Stegner

2017

Preprint

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“…However, the main factors controlling the production and the preservation of OM in these units remain controversial. The Early Jurassic was an interval of climatic warming and major perturbations of the global carbon cycle triggered by massive volcanic eruptions of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP; Marzoli et al, 1999;Whiteside et al, 2007) and the Karroo-Ferrar large igneous province (LIP; Encarnación et al, 1996;Minor and Mukasa, 1997;Svensen et al, 2007Svensen et al, , 2012Sell et al, 2014). Emission of greenhouse gases during these eruptions resulted in "greenhouse Earth" conditions by the early Toarcian (Pálfy and Smith, 2000;Weissert, 2000;Jenkyns, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Redox conditions and depositional environment of the Lower Jurassic Bächental bituminous marls (Tyrol, Austria)

Neumeister¹,

Algeo²,

Bechtel³

et al. 2016

AJES

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A suite of trace elements (TEs) characterized by an affinity to reducing environments, including molybdenum (Mo), uranium (U), vanadium (V), copper (Cu), and nickel (Ni), were used to investigate secular variations in environmental redox conditions during deposition of the Bächental bituminous marls (Bächentaler Bitumenmergel). These marls, which belong to the Sachrang Member of the Lower Jurassic Middle Allgäu Formation in the Northern Calcareous Alps, are subdivided on the basis of Al-normalized TE concentrations and concentration ratios into three units that correspond to major shifts in depositional redox conditions. The lower and upper units (Units 1 and 3, respectively) were deposited under suboxic to transiently anoxic conditions. The removal of TEs to the sediment was connected to siliciclastic input, diagenetic processes, and organic-matter accumulation in the sediment. In contrast, the middle unit (Unit 2) was characterized by intense anoxia as reflected in strong TE enrichments and peak total organic carbon (TOC) contents up to 13 %. Enrichment of TEs was linked mainly to adsorption onto organic matter in Unit 2, reflecting control of TE enrichment by the availability of an organic substrate. Comparison of inorganic and organic (e.g., pristane/phytane ratio, gammacerane index) geochemical proxies for environmental conditions permits detection of periods with elevated surface-water bioproductivity. A flourishing of algal and planktonic organisms contributed to the significant increase of TOC content at the base of Unit 2. This increase corresponds to the time-equivalent early Toarcian oceanic anoxic event characterized by the global occurrence of organic-rich sediments.Eine Auswahl an Spurenelementen (Mo, U, V, Cu, Ni), charakterisiert durch ihre Affinität zu reduzierenden Milieus, wurde verwendet um Variationen der vorherrschenden Redoxbedingungen während der Ablagerung der unterjurassischen Bächentaler Bitumenmergel (Sachrang-Member der Mittleren Allgäu-Formation in den Nördlichen Kalkalpen) zu untersuchen. Die Bitumenmergelabfolge wurde auf Basis dieser Spurenelementdaten in drei Einheiten unterteilt. Anorganisch-geochemische Parameter reflektieren wechselnde Umweltbedingungen während der Ablagerung der Bitumenmergel. Der untere und der obere Bereich (Units 1 und 3) der Bächentaler Bitumenmergel wurden unter suboxischen bis teils anoxischen Bedingungen abgelagert. Die Anreicherung der Spurenelemente im Sediment erfolgte durch siliziklastischen Eintrag, diagenetische Prozesse und Akkumulation von organischem Material. Maximalgehalte an Spurenelementen und von organischem Detritus (bis zu 13 %) bestätigen durchgehend anoxische Bedingungen während der Ablagerung des Mittelteils des Profils (Unit 2). Die Fixierung der Spurenelemente im Sediment erfolgte in diesem Bereich ausschließlich durch Adsorption an organischem Material. Folglich war die Verfügbarkeit von organischem Material der limitierende Faktor für die Spurenelementanreicherung. Der Vergleich der anorganisch-geochemischen und organisc...

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Synchrony between the Central Atlantic magmatic province and the Triassic–Jurassic mass-extinction event?

Cited by 156 publications

References 75 publications

Compound-specific carbon isotopes from Earth’s largest flood basalt eruptions directly linked to the end-Triassic mass extinction

Compound-specific carbon isotopes from Earth’s largest flood basalt eruptions directly linked to the end-Triassic mass extinction

Paleontology of the Bears Ears National Monument: history of exploration and designation of the monument

Redox conditions and depositional environment of the Lower Jurassic Bächental bituminous marls (Tyrol, Austria)

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