A new high-resolution chronology for the late Maastrichtian warming event: establishing robust temporal links with the onset of Deccan volcanism
The late Maastrichtian warming event was defined by a global temperature increase of ∼2.5–5 °C that occurred ∼150–300 k.y. before the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction. This transient warming event has traditionally been associated with a major pulse of Deccan Traps (west-central India) vo...
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| Format: | Article |
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Geological Society of America
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48791/ |
| _version_ | 1848797847953080320 |
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| author | Barnet, James S.K. Littler, Kate Kroon, Dick Leng, Melanie J. Westerhold, Thomas Röhl, Ursula Zachos, James C. |
| author_facet | Barnet, James S.K. Littler, Kate Kroon, Dick Leng, Melanie J. Westerhold, Thomas Röhl, Ursula Zachos, James C. |
| author_sort | Barnet, James S.K. |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The late Maastrichtian warming event was defined by a global temperature increase of ∼2.5–5 °C that occurred ∼150–300 k.y. before the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction. This transient warming event has traditionally been associated with a major pulse of Deccan Traps (west-central India) volcanism; however, large uncertainties associated with radiogenic dating methods have long hampered a definitive correlation. Here we present a new high-resolution, single species, benthic stable isotope record from the South Atlantic, calibrated to an updated orbitally tuned age model, to provide a revised chronology of the event, which we then correlate to the latest radiogenic dates of the main Deccan Traps eruption phases. Our data reveal that the initiation of deep-sea warming coincides, within uncertainty, with the onset of the main phase of Deccan volcanism, strongly suggesting a causal link. The onset of deep-sea warming is synchronous with a 405 k.y. eccentricity minimum, excluding a control by orbital forcing alone, although amplified carbon cycle sensitivity to orbital precession is evident during the greenhouse warming. A more precise understanding of Deccan-induced climate change paves the way for future work focusing on the fundamental role of these precursor climate shifts in the K-Pg mass extinction. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:10:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-48791 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:10:23Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Geological Society of America |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-487912020-05-04T19:22:04Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48791/ A new high-resolution chronology for the late Maastrichtian warming event: establishing robust temporal links with the onset of Deccan volcanism Barnet, James S.K. Littler, Kate Kroon, Dick Leng, Melanie J. Westerhold, Thomas Röhl, Ursula Zachos, James C. The late Maastrichtian warming event was defined by a global temperature increase of ∼2.5–5 °C that occurred ∼150–300 k.y. before the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction. This transient warming event has traditionally been associated with a major pulse of Deccan Traps (west-central India) volcanism; however, large uncertainties associated with radiogenic dating methods have long hampered a definitive correlation. Here we present a new high-resolution, single species, benthic stable isotope record from the South Atlantic, calibrated to an updated orbitally tuned age model, to provide a revised chronology of the event, which we then correlate to the latest radiogenic dates of the main Deccan Traps eruption phases. Our data reveal that the initiation of deep-sea warming coincides, within uncertainty, with the onset of the main phase of Deccan volcanism, strongly suggesting a causal link. The onset of deep-sea warming is synchronous with a 405 k.y. eccentricity minimum, excluding a control by orbital forcing alone, although amplified carbon cycle sensitivity to orbital precession is evident during the greenhouse warming. A more precise understanding of Deccan-induced climate change paves the way for future work focusing on the fundamental role of these precursor climate shifts in the K-Pg mass extinction. Geological Society of America 2017-12-12 Article PeerReviewed Barnet, James S.K., Littler, Kate, Kroon, Dick, Leng, Melanie J., Westerhold, Thomas, Röhl, Ursula and Zachos, James C. (2017) A new high-resolution chronology for the late Maastrichtian warming event: establishing robust temporal links with the onset of Deccan volcanism. Geology . ISSN 1943-2682 https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/525172/a-new-high-resolution-chronology-for-the-late doi:10.1130/G39771.1 doi:10.1130/G39771.1 |
| spellingShingle | Barnet, James S.K. Littler, Kate Kroon, Dick Leng, Melanie J. Westerhold, Thomas Röhl, Ursula Zachos, James C. A new high-resolution chronology for the late Maastrichtian warming event: establishing robust temporal links with the onset of Deccan volcanism |
| title | A new high-resolution chronology for the late Maastrichtian warming event: establishing robust temporal links with the onset of Deccan volcanism |
| title_full | A new high-resolution chronology for the late Maastrichtian warming event: establishing robust temporal links with the onset of Deccan volcanism |
| title_fullStr | A new high-resolution chronology for the late Maastrichtian warming event: establishing robust temporal links with the onset of Deccan volcanism |
| title_full_unstemmed | A new high-resolution chronology for the late Maastrichtian warming event: establishing robust temporal links with the onset of Deccan volcanism |
| title_short | A new high-resolution chronology for the late Maastrichtian warming event: establishing robust temporal links with the onset of Deccan volcanism |
| title_sort | new high-resolution chronology for the late maastrichtian warming event: establishing robust temporal links with the onset of deccan volcanism |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48791/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48791/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48791/ |