End Permian Mass Extinctions

Question 1

What does the PME mark the end of?

Answer 1

The Palaeozoic

Question 2

What is the difference between the Perm-Carb and the Permo-Triassic?

Answer 2

Carboniferous has presence of large ice sheet at southern pole
Permian Triassic is greenhouse warm (no ice sheet)

Question 3

What is one of the unusual features of the carboniferous?

Answer 3

Major collapse of rainforests

Question 4

What vegetation change occurred in the late Carboniferous?

Answer 4

From Lycopod-dominated assemblages to Fern-dominated

Question 5

What did the Carboniferous rainforest collapse also impact?

Answer 5

Evolutionary history of tetrapod’s

Question 6

What is an extinction?

Answer 6

The permanent end of an organism or group of organisms

Question 7

What is extirpation?

Answer 7

Regional loss of organisms or groups (species, genera, families)
Not permanent

Question 8

What are background extinction rates based upon?

Answer 8

exclusively on the fossil record

Question 9

What is the background extinction rate?

Answer 9

2-5 marine families every million years

Question 10

What are mass extinctions?

Answer 10

– widespread and rapid global decrease in diversity
– affects multiple groups of organisms
– observed across more than one setting or sedimentary facies

Question 11

What are Lazarus taxa?

Answer 11

Taxa (species, genera, families) re-appearing post ‘extinction’
Extirpation not extinction

Question 12

What are the types of extinction pattern?

Answer 12

Progressive
Catastrophic
Stepwise

Question 13

What is progressive extinction?

Answer 13

extinction patterns relate to relatively long term, moderate intensity environmental change

Question 14

What is catastrophic extinction?

Answer 14

Extinction patterns relate to a single, short term, high intensity environmental change exceeding the environmental tolerances of multiple species

Question 15

What is stepwise extinction?

Answer 15

extinction pattern suggests biotic responses to short bursts of facies and/or environmental changes

Question 16

What are the extinction events of the Permian called?

Answer 16

Mid-Capitanian
End Permian

Question 17

What was the mortality rate associated with the Mid-Capitanian?

Answer 17

82% of fusilinid genera
87% brachiopod genera
25% of bivalve genera
24% of land plant species in S. China
56 of land plant species in N. China

Question 18

What was the mortality rate associated with the end Permian?

Answer 18

96 % marine species
70% terrestrial vertebrate species
Only mass extinction to have affected insects

Question 19

What is the name for a volume change in the ocean?

Answer 19

Eustatic change

Question 20

What is the causes of the extinctions in the Permian thought to be?

Answer 20

Sea level
Global warming
Volcanism
Glaciation

Question 21

What are the problems associated with changes in sea level?

Answer 21

Change in water depth, energy
levels, and position of wave bases.
Also effects changes in circulation
patterns

Question 22

What happens as regression occurs?

Answer 22

The shelf (greatest diversity) progressively lost.
Low amount causes methane hydrate build which can be released when exposed
Erosion of former shelf and oxidation
Increased salinity

Question 23

What are the environmental effects of transgression?

Answer 23

Sea level increases – larger volume, lowers salinity
Former shelf setting now under deeper water (palaeo-shelf)
Gas hydrates (*) may form, but narrower zone
Erosion concentrated above former

Question 24

What is the relationship between warming and methane?

Answer 24

Warming directly leads to methane increase due to elevated wetland area productivity at mid-low latitudes +ve feedback loop

Question 25

Where is Permian glaciation evident?

Answer 25

Gondwana - high latitude events

Question 26

What is the Permian glaciation linked to?

Answer 26

Lowering of sea level and low latitude desertification
Increased latitudinal temperature gradients on land and in the oceans
Long lasting period of climatic fluctuation

Question 27

What are Large igneous provinces of the Mid Capitanian and End Permian?

Answer 27

Mid Capitanian - Emeishan Basalt (SW China)
End Permian - Siberian Traps (Siberia)

Question 28

What eruption is used as an analogue for volcanic climate cooling and why?

Answer 28

Laki 1783-84
Produced a 5 month aerosol rich fog over the northern hemisphere leading to short term climate cooling

Question 29

What was the environmental effect of the Laki eruption?

Answer 29

HCl and HF damaged terrestrial biotas
Europe - a low level gas haze with fluorine
contamination stunted plant growth and
acidified soils
Fluorine concentrated up food chain (mass livestock mortality)

Question 30

What are some examples of life from the middle Permian?

Answer 30

Complex fusulinaceans, e.g. Neoschwagerina, Yabeina, Schwagerina with keriothecal wall

Question 31

What are some examples of life post the mid-Capitanian mass extinction? (late Permian)

Answer 31

Small fusulinaceans, e.g. Codonofusiella,
Reichelina and small lagendes e.g. Geinitzina

Question 32

What volcanic activity does the mid-Capitanian mass extinction align with?

Answer 32

onset of explosive volcanism in Jinogondolella altudaensis conodont
Zone

Question 33

What volcanism is the End Permian linked to?

Answer 33

Siberian traps

Question 34

What terrestrial animal survived the End Permian Mass extinction?

Answer 34

Lystrosaurus - ~90% post extinction terrestrial vertebrate

Question 35

What was the shift in fish communities after the Permian extinctions?

Answer 35

Shift from mainly Cartilaginous to bony

Question 36

What does the maximum extinction interval correlate with for the Permian extinctions?

Answer 36

Hiatus in extrusive volcanism and an extensive intrusive phase

Question 37

What kill mechanism was provided by LIPs?

Answer 37

Extensive intrusion of sills into
Tunguska sediment pile liberates
greenhouse gases during contact
metamorphism