Coincident negative shifts in sulfur and carbon isotope compositions prior to the end-Permian mass extinction at Shangsi Section of Guangyuan, South China

Abstract

Sulfur isotope composition of carbonate-associated sulfate (δ³⁴S_CAS) and carbon isotope composition of carbonate (δ¹³C_carb) were jointly investigated on the Late Permian rocks at Shangsi Section, Guanyuan, Northeast Sichuan, South China. Both δ³⁴S_CAS and δ¹³C_carb show gradual decline trends in Late Permian strata, inferring the occurrence of the long-term variation of marine environmental conditions. Associated with the long-term variation are the two coincident negative shifts in δ³⁴S_CAS and δ¹³C_carb, with one occurring at the boundary between Middle Permian Maokou Formation and Late Permian Wujiaping Formation and another at Middle Dalong Formation. Of significance is the second shift which clearly predates the regression and the biotic crisis at the end of Permian at Shangsi Section, providing evidence that a catastrophic event occurred prior to the biotic crisis. The frequent volcanisms indicated by the volcanic rocks or fragments, and the upwelling are proposed to cause the second negative excursion. An abrupt extreme negative δ³⁴S_CAS (ca. -20‰) associated with a low relative concentration of CAS and total organic carbon without large change in δ¹³C_carb is found at the end of the second shift, which might arise from the short-term oxygenation of bottom waters and sediments that resulted from the abrupt sea level drop.

Keywords

carbonate-associated sulfate / sulfur isotope / mass extinction / Late Permian / South China

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Wu Xia etc. for the assistance of sample smash, Lu Yajun and Wang Youzhen for the guidance in experiments and Wang Xinjun in δ³⁴S_CAS measurement, professors Xie Xinong for providing TOC data. This work was supported by SINOPEC Project (G0800-06-ZS-319).

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2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg