Coupled extinction–regression episodes revisited in mid-oceanic settings for comparative extinction study during the Palaeozoic in view of non-bolide extraterrestrial causes

Major change in the Earthâs surface temperature appears to be the most critical and universal factor for inducing coevally multiple kill mechanisms for organisms during the global environmental change episodes. Among the major extinction events during the Phanerozoic, the end-Ordovician episode shar...

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Main Author: Yukio Isozaki
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Estonian Academy Publishers 2023-06-01
Series:Estonian Journal of Earth Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/earth-1-2023-134_20230611093038.pdf
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author Yukio Isozaki
author_facet Yukio Isozaki
author_sort Yukio Isozaki
collection DOAJ
description Major change in the Earthâs surface temperature appears to be the most critical and universal factor for inducing coevally multiple kill mechanisms for organisms during the global environmental change episodes. Among the major extinction events during the Phanerozoic, the end-Ordovician episode shares almost the same environmental background with that of the end-Guadalupian (middle Permian). These two major extinction-relevant episodes, however, occurred respectively before and after the mid-Palaeozoic botanical revolution, i.e., the first mass development of land plants/forests. Owing to the enhanced terrestrial photosynthesis, the atmospheric CO2 content decreased irreversibly from ca. 2800â800 ppm in the Ordovician down to 400â300 ppm in the Permian. This highlights an apparent contradiction between the end-Ordovician glaciation and distinctly high atmospheric pCO2, which may suggest that one or more agents on global scale were likely responsible for the prominent global cooling besides atmospheric pCO2 with respect to the greenhouse effect. The same conundrum is much clearer in the cases of Proterozoic snowball Earth events. Ancient mid-oceanic sedimentary rocks, i.e., deep-sea cherts and atoll carbonates on top of seamounts, are valuable in recording the average regional/global changes of past oceanic domains without receiving tectonic disturbances along continental margins. The Permian mid-oceanic deep-sea cherts and paleo-atoll carbonates in South-West Japan were deposited in the mid-Panthalassa superocean that occupied nearly 70% of the Earthâs surface (the rest 30% by Pangea). The latest research results from these unique sedimentary archives in Japan are introduced with particular focus on the hiatus-bearing sea-level drop and a unique signature of extraordinarily high 3He enrichment in the extinction-relevant interval. These new lines of evidence imply non-bolide extraterrestrial agent for driving global cooling/sea-level drop. Comparative discussion with the end-Ordovician episode may open a new window for extinction study.
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spelling doaj.art-1129472254a94c5888c5599fc1fce6852023-06-14T07:33:30ZengEstonian Academy PublishersEstonian Journal of Earth Sciences1736-47281736-75572023-06-017211340https://doi.org/10.3176/earth.2023.58https://doi.org/10.3176/earth.2023.58Coupled extinction–regression episodes revisited in mid-oceanic settings for comparative extinction study during the Palaeozoic in view of non-bolide extraterrestrial causesYukio Isozaki0Department of Earth Science & Astronomy, The University of Tokyo, Komaba, Meguro, 153-8902 Tokyo, Japan; izozaki@ea.c.u-tokyo.ac.jpMajor change in the Earthâs surface temperature appears to be the most critical and universal factor for inducing coevally multiple kill mechanisms for organisms during the global environmental change episodes. Among the major extinction events during the Phanerozoic, the end-Ordovician episode shares almost the same environmental background with that of the end-Guadalupian (middle Permian). These two major extinction-relevant episodes, however, occurred respectively before and after the mid-Palaeozoic botanical revolution, i.e., the first mass development of land plants/forests. Owing to the enhanced terrestrial photosynthesis, the atmospheric CO2 content decreased irreversibly from ca. 2800â800 ppm in the Ordovician down to 400â300 ppm in the Permian. This highlights an apparent contradiction between the end-Ordovician glaciation and distinctly high atmospheric pCO2, which may suggest that one or more agents on global scale were likely responsible for the prominent global cooling besides atmospheric pCO2 with respect to the greenhouse effect. The same conundrum is much clearer in the cases of Proterozoic snowball Earth events. Ancient mid-oceanic sedimentary rocks, i.e., deep-sea cherts and atoll carbonates on top of seamounts, are valuable in recording the average regional/global changes of past oceanic domains without receiving tectonic disturbances along continental margins. The Permian mid-oceanic deep-sea cherts and paleo-atoll carbonates in South-West Japan were deposited in the mid-Panthalassa superocean that occupied nearly 70% of the Earthâs surface (the rest 30% by Pangea). The latest research results from these unique sedimentary archives in Japan are introduced with particular focus on the hiatus-bearing sea-level drop and a unique signature of extraordinarily high 3He enrichment in the extinction-relevant interval. These new lines of evidence imply non-bolide extraterrestrial agent for driving global cooling/sea-level drop. Comparative discussion with the end-Ordovician episode may open a new window for extinction study.https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/earth-1-2023-134_20230611093038.pdfextinctionpermianordovicianglobal coolingmid-oceanic hiatus3he flux
spellingShingle Yukio Isozaki
Coupled extinction–regression episodes revisited in mid-oceanic settings for comparative extinction study during the Palaeozoic in view of non-bolide extraterrestrial causes
Estonian Journal of Earth Sciences
extinction
permian
ordovician
global cooling
mid-oceanic hiatus
3he flux
title Coupled extinction–regression episodes revisited in mid-oceanic settings for comparative extinction study during the Palaeozoic in view of non-bolide extraterrestrial causes
title_full Coupled extinction–regression episodes revisited in mid-oceanic settings for comparative extinction study during the Palaeozoic in view of non-bolide extraterrestrial causes
title_fullStr Coupled extinction–regression episodes revisited in mid-oceanic settings for comparative extinction study during the Palaeozoic in view of non-bolide extraterrestrial causes
title_full_unstemmed Coupled extinction–regression episodes revisited in mid-oceanic settings for comparative extinction study during the Palaeozoic in view of non-bolide extraterrestrial causes
title_short Coupled extinction–regression episodes revisited in mid-oceanic settings for comparative extinction study during the Palaeozoic in view of non-bolide extraterrestrial causes
title_sort coupled extinction regression episodes revisited in mid oceanic settings for comparative extinction study during the palaeozoic in view of non bolide extraterrestrial causes
topic extinction
permian
ordovician
global cooling
mid-oceanic hiatus
3he flux
url https://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/earth-1-2023-134_20230611093038.pdf
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