The protracted Permo-Triassic crisis and multi-episode extinction around the Permian–Triassic boundary

Triggers of Permo-Triassic boundary mass extinction in South China: The Siberian Traps or Paleo-Tethys ignimbrite flare-up?

“…These ash layers have been extensively studied in the past 30 years (e.g., Bowring et al, 1998;Clark et al, 1986;Metcalfe et al, 1999;Mundil et al, 2001Mundil et al, , 2004Shen et al, 2011Shen et al, , 2012Shen et al, , 2013Zhou and Kyte, 1988). It is widely accepted that the PTB volcanic ash layers may have been deposited during the latest Permian and the earliest Triassic, and that they are felsic in composition and may have been formed in a subduction-related setting (Clark et al, 1986;Gao et al, 2013;Isozaki et al, 2007;Shen et al, 2012;Yang et al, 2012;Yin et al, 2007;Zhou and Kyte, 1988).…”

“…(2) Two layers of volcanic ash (Beds 25 and 28) in the Meishan GSSP section are exactly on the PTB extinction horizons (Figs. 1 and 3b) (e.g., Shen et al, 2011;Song et al, 2013;Xie et al, 2007;Yin et al, 2007Yin et al, , 2012 Bowring et al, 1998;Galfetti et al, 2007;Mundil et al, 2004;Shen et al, 2011). (4) As revealed by the temporal variation in the thickness of the ash layers from Zone A to Zone C (Fig.…”

“…If this volcanic ash has the same age and composition as those of the Siberian Traps, a consanguineous association between them can thus be established. The PTB volcanic ash was previously considered to be felsic rather than mafic and be related to plate subduction or a magmatic arc (e.g., Clark et al, 1986;Yang et al, 1991;Yin et al, 1992Yin et al, , 2007Zhou and Kyte, 1988). Thus, the provenance of the PTB volcanic ash and its genetic relationship related to the Siberian Traps deserve further investigation.…”

Role and lifestyle of calcified cyanobacteria (Stanieria) in Permian–Triassic boundary microbialites

“…Following the major mass extinction at the end of the Permian (Erwin, 1993;Knoll et al, 2007;Yin et al, 2007;Shen et al, 2011;Foster and Twitchett, 2014), a several meter thick interval of carbonate rocks with distinctive spotted, dendritic and netlike fabrics formed in low latitude shallow seas in southern China. It has recently been proposed (Wu et al, 2014) that shallow marine eutrophication resulted in intense surface water blooms of the planktic cyanobacterium, Microcystis (Šejnohová and Maršálek, 2012).…”

High‐resolution Lopingian (Late Permian) timescale of South China

“…During the last decade, the latest Permian and pre-Lopingian mass extinctions have become two of the most extensively studied subjects (e.g. Wignall and Hallam, 1992;Wignall and Twitchett, 1996;Bowring et al, 1998;Jin et al, 2000a;Shen and Shi, 2002;Lehrmann et al, 2003;Mundil et al, 2004;Twitchett et al, 2004;Grice et al, 2005;Isozaki et al, 2007a;Yin et al, 2007;Cao et al, 2009;Chen et al, 2009a;Wignall et al, 2009a). Debate has centred on whether there is a longlived inter-related event between the latest Changhsingian extinction and the pre-Lopingian crisis (Isozaki et al, 2007b;Yin et al, 2007;Bottjer et al, 2008) or two distinct extinctions including a short catastrophic latest Changhsingian extinction (Jin et al, 2000a;Rampino et al, 2000;Becker et al, 2001) unrelated to the end-Guadalupian extinction Shi, 1996, 2002;Shi et al, 1999;Wang and Sugiyama, 2000).…”