High Influx of Carbon in Walls of Agglutinated Foraminifers During the Permian–Triassic Transition in Global Oceans Galina P

This article was downloaded by: [USGS Libraries] On: 18 February 2015, At: 12:06 Publisher: Taylor & Francis Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK International Geology Review Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tigr20 High influx of carbon in walls of agglutinated foraminifers during the Permian–Triassic transition in global oceans Galina P. Nestella, Merlynd K. Nestella, Brooks B. Ellwoodb, Bruce R. Wardlawc, Asish R. Basua, Nilotpal Ghoshad, Luu Thi Phuong Lane, Harry D. Rowef, Andrew Hunta, Jonathan H. Tomking & Kenneth T. Ratcliffeh a Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, USA b Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA c Eastern Geology and Palaeoclimate Science Center, United States Geological Survey, Reston, USA Click for updates d Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, USA e Department of Geomagnetism, Institute of Geophysics, Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam f Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin, University Station, Austin, USA g School of Earth, Society, and Environment, University of Illinois, Urbana, USA h Chemostrat Inc, Houston, USA Published online: 16 Feb 2015. To cite this article: Galina P. Nestell, Merlynd K. Nestell, Brooks B. Ellwood, Bruce R. Wardlaw, Asish R. Basu, Nilotpal Ghosh, Luu Thi Phuong Lan, Harry D. Rowe, Andrew Hunt, Jonathan H. Tomkin & Kenneth T. Ratcliffe (2015): High influx of carbon in walls of agglutinated foraminifers during the Permian–Triassic transition in global oceans, International Geology Review, DOI: 10.1080/00206814.2015.1010610 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00206814.2015.1010610 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions International Geology Review, 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00206814.2015.1010610 High influx of carbon in walls of agglutinated foraminifers during the Permian–Triassic transition in global oceans Galina P. Nestella*, Merlynd K. Nestella, Brooks B. Ellwoodb, Bruce R. Wardlawc, Asish R. Basua, Nilotpal Ghosha,d, Luu Thi Phuong Lane, Harry D. Rowef, Andrew Hunta, Jonathan H. Tomking and Kenneth T. Ratcliffeh aDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, USA; bDepartment of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA; cEastern Geology and Palaeoclimate Science Center, United States Geological Survey, Reston, USA; dDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, USA; eDepartment of Geomagnetism, Institute of Geophysics, Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietnam; fBureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin, University Station, Austin, USA; gSchool of Earth, Society, and Environment, University of Illinois, Urbana, USA; hChemostrat Inc, Houston, USA (Received 3 July 2014; accepted 16 January 2015) The Permian–Triassic mass extinction is postulated to be related to the rapid volcanism that produced the Siberian flood basalt (Traps). Unrelated volcanic eruptions producing several episodes of ash falls synchronous with the Siberian Traps are found in South China and Australia. Such regional eruptions could have caused wildfires, burning of coal deposits, and the dispersion of coal fly ash. These eruptions introduced a major influx of carbon into the atmosphere and oceans that can be recognized in the wall structure of foraminiferal tests present in survival populations in the boundary interval strata. Analysis of free specimens of foraminifers recovered from residues of conodont samples taken at a Permian–Triassic boundary section at Lung Cam in northern Vietnam has revealed the presence of a significant amount of elemental carbon, along with oxygen and silica, in their test wall structure, but an absence of calcium carbonate. These foraminifers, identified as Rectocornuspira kalhori, Cornuspira mahajeri, and Earlandia spp. and whose tests previously were considered to be calcareous, are confirmed to be agglutinated, and are now referred to as Ammodiscus kalhori and Hyperammina deformis. Measurement of the 207Pb/204Pb ratios in pyrite clusters attached to the foraminiferal tests confirmed that these tests inherited the Pb in their outer layer from carbon-contaminated seawater. We conclude that the source of the carbon could have been either global coal fly ash or forest fire-dispersed carbon, or a combination of both, that was dispersed into the Palaeo-Tethys Ocean immediately after the end-Permian extinction event. Keywords: foraminifers; carbon; lead isotopes; pyrite clusters; Permian–Triassic transition; Vietnam 1. Introduction made at Meishan, China, based on the first occurrence of the One of the greatest mass extinctions during the history of life conodont Hindeodus parvus (Yin et al. 2001), many PTB on Earth occurred at the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic boundary. sections have been reinvestigated using this criterion. This extinction event was more severe than the one related to Furthermore, several hypotheses have been proposed that the demise of dinosaurs at the Mesozoic–Cenozoic bound- suggest that multiple interrelated mechanisms caused the Downloaded by [USGS Libraries] at 12:06 18 February 2015 – ary. More than 90% of terrestrial and marine species became Permian Triassic extinction. One of the more controversial extinct near the Permian–Triassic boundary (PTB) proposals is that an extraterrestrial impact (Becker (Raup 1979; Hallam and Wignall 1997). In marine biota, et al. 2001;Kaihoet al. 2001;Basuet al. 2003) could have the extinction affected tabulate and rugose corals, several triggered the rapid volcanism that produced the extensive fl classes of echinoderms and also some groups of ostracodes, Siberian ood basalt known as the Siberian Traps (Renne brachiopods, bryozoans, bivalves, ammonoids, nautiloids, and Basu 1991;Renneet al. 1995; Kamo et al. 2003; Korte radiolarians, acritarchs, and foraminifers (Hallam and et al. 2010). This event could, in turn, have led to an Wignall 1997). The cause, or causes, of this severe biotic enhanced production of carbon dioxide (Hallam and extinction event has long been sought, together with the Wignall 1997; Brand et al. 2012), a climatic warming determination of whether it was gradual, stepped, or abrupt. (Hallam and Wignall 1997;KidderandWorsley2004; To try to answer these questions, many stratigraphic sections Joachimski et al. 2012), a change in ocean chemistry to spanning the PTB have been studied using palaeontological, more anoxic conditions (Wignall and Twitchett 1996; fi lithological, magnetostratigraphic, and geochemical meth- Isozaki 1997), a signi cant disturbance of the carbon cycle ods. After the formal designation of the Permian–Triassic (Berner 2002), a change in ocean salinity (Kidder and GSSP (Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point) was Worsley 2004), a large shift in the composition of sulphur *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] © 2015 Taylor & Francis 2 G.P. Nestell et al. and strontium isotopes (Newton et al. 2004; Riccardi establish a foundation for interpreting the carbon influx, et al. 2006;Algeoet al. 2008; Kaiho et al. 2012), and a we present the stratigraphic setting of the PTB sequence in denitrification of the water mass (Knies et al. 2013). Drops in the Lung Cam section in Vietnam, lead (Pb) isotopic data atmospheric oxygen (Weidlich et al. 2003) and sea level have from pyrite grains attached to the foraminiferal tests, car- also been suggested (Hallam and Wignall 1999;Wu bon isotopic data from the samples, and a time-series et al. 2010). The extensive volcanism in the northern hemi- analysis of magnetic susceptibility data from the strati- sphere resulting in the accumulation of the Siberian Traps graphic sequence. may have led to the combustion of late Permian coal deposits and the dispersion of coal fly ash into the oceans (Grasby et al. 2011; Ogden and Sleep 2012). Recently, evidence of 2. Geological and stratigraphic setting unrelated volcanic eruptions producing several episodes of We focus on a section of the PTB interval

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