ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS ON THE GENESIS OF MARINE MICROBIALITES AND DISSOLUTION SURFACE ASSOCIATED WITH THE END-PERMIAN MASS EXTINCTION: NEW SECTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS FROM THE NANPANJIANG BASIN, SOUTH CHINA

Abstract

Research Article| July 01, 2015 ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS ON THE GENESIS OF MARINE MICROBIALITES AND DISSOLUTION SURFACE ASSOCIATED WITH THE END-PERMIAN MASS EXTINCTION: NEW SECTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS FROM THE NANPANJIANG BASIN, SOUTH CHINA DANIEL J. LEHRMANN; DANIEL J. LEHRMANN 1Geoscience Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA e-mail: [e-mail] Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar JOHN M. BENTZ; JOHN M. BENTZ 1Geoscience Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar TANNER WOOD; TANNER WOOD 1Geoscience Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar ALEXA GOERS; ALEXA GOERS 1Geoscience Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar RYAN DHILLON; RYAN DHILLON 2Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, Queens University, Kingston Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar SARA AKIN; SARA AKIN 3ExxonMobil Exploration Company, 222 Benmar Dr., Houston, Texas 77060, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar XIAOWEI LI; XIAOWEI LI 4Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar JONATHAN L. PAYNE; JONATHAN L. PAYNE 4Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar BRIAN M. KELLEY; BRIAN M. KELLEY 5ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, 3120 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, Texas 77098, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar KATJA M. MEYER; KATJA M. MEYER 6Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon 97301, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar ELLEN K. SCHAAL; ELLEN K. SCHAAL 7Lawrence University, Geology Department, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar MARINA B. SUAREZ; MARINA B. SUAREZ 8Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar MEIYI YU; MEIYI YU 9College of Resource and Environment Engineering, Guizhou University, Caijiaguan, Guiyang, 550003, Guizhou Province, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar YANJIAO QIN; YANJIAO QIN 9College of Resource and Environment Engineering, Guizhou University, Caijiaguan, Guiyang, 550003, Guizhou Province, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar RONGXI LI; RONGXI LI 10School of Earth Science and Land Resources, Chang'an University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province 710054, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar MARCELLO MINZONI; MARCELLO MINZONI 11Shell International Exploration and Production, 200 N. Dairy Ashford, Houston, Texas 77079, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar CHARLES M. HENDERSON CHARLES M. HENDERSON 12Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information DANIEL J. LEHRMANN 1Geoscience Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA JOHN M. BENTZ 1Geoscience Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA TANNER WOOD 1Geoscience Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA ALEXA GOERS 1Geoscience Department, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 78212, USA RYAN DHILLON 2Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, Queens University, Kingston Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada SARA AKIN 3ExxonMobil Exploration Company, 222 Benmar Dr., Houston, Texas 77060, USA XIAOWEI LI 4Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA JONATHAN L. PAYNE 4Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA BRIAN M. KELLEY 5ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, 3120 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, Texas 77098, USA KATJA M. MEYER 6Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon 97301, USA ELLEN K. SCHAAL 7Lawrence University, Geology Department, Appleton, Wisconsin 54911, USA MARINA B. SUAREZ 8Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA MEIYI YU 9College of Resource and Environment Engineering, Guizhou University, Caijiaguan, Guiyang, 550003, Guizhou Province, China YANJIAO QIN 9College of Resource and Environment Engineering, Guizhou University, Caijiaguan, Guiyang, 550003, Guizhou Province, China RONGXI LI 10School of Earth Science and Land Resources, Chang'an University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province 710054, China MARCELLO MINZONI 11Shell International Exploration and Production, 200 N. Dairy Ashford, Houston, Texas 77079, USA CHARLES M. HENDERSON 12Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada e-mail: [e-mail] Publisher: SEPM Society for Sedimentary Geology Received: 09 Oct 2014 Accepted: 18 Apr 2015 First Online: 14 Jul 2017 Online ISSN: 1938-5323 Print ISSN: 0883-1351 Copyright © 2015, SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology) PALAIOS (2015) 30 (7): 529–552. https://doi.org/10.2110/palo.2014.088 Article history Received: 09 Oct 2014 Accepted: 18 Apr 2015 First Online: 14 Jul 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation DANIEL J. LEHRMANN, JOHN M. BENTZ, TANNER WOOD, ALEXA GOERS, RYAN DHILLON, SARA AKIN, XIAOWEI LI, JONATHAN L. PAYNE, BRIAN M. KELLEY, KATJA M. MEYER, ELLEN K. SCHAAL, MARINA B. SUAREZ, MEIYI YU, YANJIAO QIN, RONGXI LI, MARCELLO MINZONI, CHARLES M. HENDERSON; ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS ON THE GENESIS OF MARINE MICROBIALITES AND DISSOLUTION SURFACE ASSOCIATED WITH THE END-PERMIAN MASS EXTINCTION: NEW SECTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS FROM THE NANPANJIANG BASIN, SOUTH CHINA. PALAIOS 2015;; 30 (7): 529–552. doi: https://doi.org/10.2110/palo.2014.088 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyPALAIOS Search Advanced Search Abstract A widespread marine microbialite and underlying truncation surface occur in Permian–Triassic sections of South China. We interpret the microbialite to have formed as a shallow, open-marine benthic framework stimulated by high seawater CaCO3 saturation. The widespread distribution across platform interiors and lack of asymmetry or thickening toward platform margins is incompatible with an alternative hypothesis, that microbialite deposition was stimulated by upwelling anoxic, alkaline waters. The truncation surface beneath the microbialite is irregular with overhangs and small caverns extending up to 30 cm beneath the surface indicating a dissolutional origin. Petrographic observations refute the interpretation that strata immediately beneath the surface contain pendant cements, meniscus cements, and vadose silt. Measurements of the anisopachous fibrous cements show that thickened areas have random, not downward orientations. Pores retain the pointed geometry consistent with isopachous cement. Carbon and oxygen isotope measurements, from immediately beneath the surface, do not show a negative shift as would be expected with subaerial exposure. Also incompatible with a subaerial origin is the occurrence of only one truncation surface within a subtidal succession ∼ 50 m thick below the surface and the limited vertical penetration of dissolution. The surface closely resembles a hardground containing a micritized alteration zone with stromatolites encrusted on the surface. We interpret the surface to have formed by submarine dissolution driven by a pulse of ocean acidification associated with Siberian Traps eruptions and the end-Permian extinction. After a hiatus of ∼ 30–100 kyr, seafloor dissolution would have brought seawater back to saturation coupled with increased delivery of calcium to the oceans as the result of elevated continental weathering and caused a rebound in carbonate saturation and precipitation of microbialites. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.