An integrated biomarker, isotopic and palaeoenvironmental study through the Late Permian event at Lusitaniadalen, Spitsbergen
The largest extinction of the Phanerozoic occurred near the Permian/Triassic (P/Tr) boundary some 252 Ma ago. Several scenarios and drivers have been proposed for this event. Here we report for the first time an integrated study comprising sedimentological data, biomarker distributions/abundances an...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Elsevier Science BV
2010
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44558 |
| _version_ | 1848757035681710080 |
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| author | Nabbefeld, Birgit Grice, Kliti Twitchett, R. Summons, R Hays, L Bottcher, M Asif, Muhammad |
| author_facet | Nabbefeld, Birgit Grice, Kliti Twitchett, R. Summons, R Hays, L Bottcher, M Asif, Muhammad |
| author_sort | Nabbefeld, Birgit |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The largest extinction of the Phanerozoic occurred near the Permian/Triassic (P/Tr) boundary some 252 Ma ago. Several scenarios and drivers have been proposed for this event. Here we report for the first time an integrated study comprising sedimentological data, biomarker distributions/abundances and selected stable carbon and hydrogen isotopes along with bulk isotopes (d34Spyrite, d13Ccarb, d13Corg) for a Late Permian section from Lusitaniadalen, Spitsbergen, Norway. Sedimentological and geochemical data support a marine transgression and collapse of the marine ecosystem in the Late Permian. Strong evidence for waxing and waning of photic zone euxinia throughout the Late Permian is provided by Chlorobiaceae-derived biomarkers (including d13C data) and d34Spyrite, implying multiple phases of H2S outgassing and potentially several pulses of extinction. A rapid decrease in abundance of various land-plant biomarkers prior to the marine collapse event indicates a dramatic decline of land-plants during the Late Permian and/or increasing distance from palaeoshoreline as a consequence of sea level rise. Changes in dD of selected biomarkers also suggest a change in source of organic matter (OM) or sea level rise. We also found biomarker and isotopic evidence for a phytoplanktonic bloom triggered by eutrophication as a consequence of the marine collapse. Compound specific isotope analyses (CSIA) of algal and land-plant-derived biomarkers, as well as d13C of carbonate and bulk OM provide strong evidence for synchronous changes in d13C of marine and atmospheric CO2, attributed to a 13C-depleted source. The source could be associated with isotopically depleted methane released from the melting of gas clathrates and/or from respired OM, due to collapse of the marine ecosystem. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:21:42Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-44558 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T09:21:42Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| publisher | Elsevier Science BV |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-445582017-09-13T16:05:30Z An integrated biomarker, isotopic and palaeoenvironmental study through the Late Permian event at Lusitaniadalen, Spitsbergen Nabbefeld, Birgit Grice, Kliti Twitchett, R. Summons, R Hays, L Bottcher, M Asif, Muhammad sulfur isotopes biomarker photic zone euxinia Triassic hydrogen isotopes methane clathrates Spitsbergen Permian carbon isotopes The largest extinction of the Phanerozoic occurred near the Permian/Triassic (P/Tr) boundary some 252 Ma ago. Several scenarios and drivers have been proposed for this event. Here we report for the first time an integrated study comprising sedimentological data, biomarker distributions/abundances and selected stable carbon and hydrogen isotopes along with bulk isotopes (d34Spyrite, d13Ccarb, d13Corg) for a Late Permian section from Lusitaniadalen, Spitsbergen, Norway. Sedimentological and geochemical data support a marine transgression and collapse of the marine ecosystem in the Late Permian. Strong evidence for waxing and waning of photic zone euxinia throughout the Late Permian is provided by Chlorobiaceae-derived biomarkers (including d13C data) and d34Spyrite, implying multiple phases of H2S outgassing and potentially several pulses of extinction. A rapid decrease in abundance of various land-plant biomarkers prior to the marine collapse event indicates a dramatic decline of land-plants during the Late Permian and/or increasing distance from palaeoshoreline as a consequence of sea level rise. Changes in dD of selected biomarkers also suggest a change in source of organic matter (OM) or sea level rise. We also found biomarker and isotopic evidence for a phytoplanktonic bloom triggered by eutrophication as a consequence of the marine collapse. Compound specific isotope analyses (CSIA) of algal and land-plant-derived biomarkers, as well as d13C of carbonate and bulk OM provide strong evidence for synchronous changes in d13C of marine and atmospheric CO2, attributed to a 13C-depleted source. The source could be associated with isotopically depleted methane released from the melting of gas clathrates and/or from respired OM, due to collapse of the marine ecosystem. 2010 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44558 10.1016/j.epsl.2009.12.053 Elsevier Science BV restricted |
| spellingShingle | sulfur isotopes biomarker photic zone euxinia Triassic hydrogen isotopes methane clathrates Spitsbergen Permian carbon isotopes Nabbefeld, Birgit Grice, Kliti Twitchett, R. Summons, R Hays, L Bottcher, M Asif, Muhammad An integrated biomarker, isotopic and palaeoenvironmental study through the Late Permian event at Lusitaniadalen, Spitsbergen |
| title | An integrated biomarker, isotopic and palaeoenvironmental study through the Late Permian event at Lusitaniadalen, Spitsbergen |
| title_full | An integrated biomarker, isotopic and palaeoenvironmental study through the Late Permian event at Lusitaniadalen, Spitsbergen |
| title_fullStr | An integrated biomarker, isotopic and palaeoenvironmental study through the Late Permian event at Lusitaniadalen, Spitsbergen |
| title_full_unstemmed | An integrated biomarker, isotopic and palaeoenvironmental study through the Late Permian event at Lusitaniadalen, Spitsbergen |
| title_short | An integrated biomarker, isotopic and palaeoenvironmental study through the Late Permian event at Lusitaniadalen, Spitsbergen |
| title_sort | integrated biomarker, isotopic and palaeoenvironmental study through the late permian event at lusitaniadalen, spitsbergen |
| topic | sulfur isotopes biomarker photic zone euxinia Triassic hydrogen isotopes methane clathrates Spitsbergen Permian carbon isotopes |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/44558 |