Catastrophic dispersion of coal fly ash into oceans during the latest Permian extinction

Grasby, Stephen E.; Sanei, Hamed; Beauchamp, Benoı̂t

doi:10.1038/ngeo1069

Cited by 186 publications

(151 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…A volatile-only hypothesis therefore remains conceivable for a very rare event. However, the presence of fly ash in Canadian deposits (17) suggests at least partial mobilization of coal to the surface.…”

Section: Coal-basalt Volcanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These products must be injected into the stratosphere in order to have the observed global catastrophic effects, including fly ash deposits in Canada (17). The theory of eruptive columns by Wilson et al (33) suffices to estimate the eruption rate of coalbasalt mixture that is necessary for plume heights of this magnitude.…”

Section: Coal-basalt Volcanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to these mechanisms for carbon release, fly ash recently documented in contemporaneous sediments in northern Canada suggest explosive combustion of coal by mafic intrusion (17). This paper explores the physical mechanism by which coal and basalt may have erupted and contributed to the endPermian mass extinction along with other previously proposed mechanisms.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Explosive eruption of coal and basalt and the end-Permian mass extinction

Ogden

Sleep²

2011

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

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The end-Permian extinction decimated up to 95% of carbonate shell-bearing marine species and 80% of land animals. Isotopic excursions, dissolution of shallow marine carbonates, and the demise of carbonate shell-bearing organisms suggest global warming and ocean acidification. The temporal association of the extinction with the Siberia flood basalts at approximately 250 Ma is well known, and recent evidence suggests these flood basalts may have mobilized carbon in thick deposits of organic-rich sediments. Large isotopic excursions recorded in this period are potentially explained by rapid venting of coal-derived methane, which has primarily been attributed to metamorphism of coal by basaltic intrusion. However, recently discovered contemporaneous deposits of fly ash in northern Canada suggest large-scale combustion of coal as an additional mechanism for rapid release of carbon. This massive coal combustion may have resulted from explosive interaction with basalt sills of the Siberian Traps. Here we present physical analysis of explosive eruption of coal and basalt, demonstrating that it is a viable mechanism for global extinction. We describe and constrain the physics of this process including necessary magnitudes of basaltic intrusion, mixing and mobilization of coal and basalt, ascent to the surface, explosive combustion, and the atmospheric rise necessary for global distribution.R ecent studies have brought the Great Dying at the end of the Permian Period into focus. Up to 95% of shell-bearing marine species and 80% of land animals perished (1, 2). The temporal association of the extinction with the Siberia flood basalts at approximately 250 Ma is well known (1-7), but a causal mechanism connecting the flood basalts to global extinction is not evident. The flows directly killed only those biota in their path, and basalt is not a massive source of greenhouse gases such as CO 2 (8). Recent studies suggest flood basalts may have mobilized carbon in thick deposits of organic-rich sediments, resulting in global climate change and extinction (4,5,7,(9)(10)(11)(12)(13). New work also suggests magmatic release of CO 2 from mantle-derived eclogite as a potential extinction mechanism (14). Svensen et al. (15) were the first to discuss the mechanism by which basaltic interaction with organic sediments may cause mass extinction through explosive release of methane. McElwain et al. (16) expanded on this idea by linking the intrusion of KarooFerrar magmas into coal with the 183 Ma Toarcian oceanic anoxic event. In this model, basaltic intrusions metamorphosed sediments driving off hydrocarbons, including methane, which quickly oxidized to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water. This sudden release of organic carbon acidified the ocean and caused a ∂ 13 C excursion in the sedimentary record.Retallack and Jahren (5) applied a similar idea linking basaltic intrusion of coal seams in Siberia to the late Permian extinction. Their study focused on this mechanism as an explanation for the large, short-term carbon isotopic excursions ...

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Section: Coal-basalt Volcanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Coal-basalt Volcanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Explosive eruption of coal and basalt and the end-Permian mass extinction

Ogden

Sleep²

2011

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

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“…The role of wildfires at the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) has been investigated by many (e.g., Thomas et al, 2004;Xie et al, 2007;Grasby et al, 2011;Shen et al, 2011;Abu Hamad et al, 2012). Shen et al (2011) studied widespread wildfires close to the PTB, and believed that wildfire, along with fire-derived products, could have contributed to the PTB mass extinction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of widespread wildfires in a coal seam from the middle Permian of the North China Basin

et al. 2017

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The North China Basin is the largest coal-bearing basin in China, and has an areal extent of 800,000 km 2 . We analyzed 138 coal samples and in situ pillar coal samples of the middle Permian from this basin by macropetrography, microscope, scanning electron microscope, gas chromatography, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer in order to study wildfires. High contents of inertinite (charcoal) and natural coke particles observed in coal samples indicate that vegetation in precursor mires and peats of the middle Permian coal from north China was exposed to far-ranging wildfires. In addition, high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were detected in the coal samples. These aromatic compounds were formed under high temperatures and provide further evidence of wildfire. These wildfires would have discharged significant CO and CO 2 gases into the atmosphere and affected the paleoclimate and paleoecosystem. LITHOSPHERE

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“…Numerous studies have been conducted to understand this event in the Palaeo-Tethys and Panthalassan regions (Erwin, 1994;Retallack, 1995;Renne et al, 1995;Isozaki, 1997;Knoll et al 2007;Brayard et al, 2009;Wignall et al, 2010;Grasby et al, 2011;Jochimscki et al, 2012;Payne and Clapham, 2012;Yin et al, 2013;Clarkson et al, 2015;Xie et al, 2017). The Perigondwanan margin is a major research area for the P-T boundary because of the distinctive history of the crisis in the region Retallack et al, 1998;Wignall and Newton, 2003;Waterhouse, 2004;Shen et al, 2006;2010;Shi and Waterhouse, 2010;Hermann et al, 2010;Clarkson et al, 2013;Metcalfe et al, 2013;Waterhouse and Shi, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Permian-Triassic conodont data from Selong (Tibet) and the youngest occurrence of Vjalovognathus

Wang

Wignall

Sun

et al. 2017

Journal of Asian Earth Sciences

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Abstract:The controversial biostratigraphy of the well-known Permo-Triassic (P-T) boundary section at Selong, South Tibet is reinvestigated based on large conodont samples. The conodont data in this study confirm that the upper part of Selong (Changshingian). The last species V. carinatus sp. nov. is also found in the pre-mass extinction beds at Guryul Ravine, Kashmir allowing correlation with South Tibet.

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Catastrophic dispersion of coal fly ash into oceans during the latest Permian extinction

Cited by 186 publications

References 27 publications

Explosive eruption of coal and basalt and the end-Permian mass extinction

Explosive eruption of coal and basalt and the end-Permian mass extinction

Evidence of widespread wildfires in a coal seam from the middle Permian of the North China Basin

New Permian-Triassic conodont data from Selong (Tibet) and the youngest occurrence of Vjalovognathus

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