Reconstructing environmental signals across the Permian-Triassic boundary in the SE Germanic Basin: A Quantitative Provenance Analysis (QPA) approach

Caracciolo L, Ravidà D, Chew D, Janßen M, Luensdorf KN, Heins WA, Stephan T, Stollhofen H (2021)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2021

Journal

Book Volume: 206

Article Number: 103631

DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2021.103631

Abstract

Global tectonic and climatic models for the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) are highly debated. One of the most disputed topics is the temperature increase associated with CO2 emissions generated by the Siberian Trap volcanism and its potential influence on chemical weathering and associated variations in sediment fluxes. By integrating crustal architecture, plate modelling, structural kinematics, and two climatic models, we reconstruct the drainage evolution of Variscan tectonostratigraphic units from the SE portion of the Germanic Basin, from which we also extract the parameters necessary to calculate sediment flux across a time-scale of 28 Ma (Guadalupian-Lower Triassic). We reconstruct the sedimentary response to climatic and tectonic perturbations using Quantitative Provenance Analysis (QPA) and integrate compositional data into a sedimentological framework, paleodrainage and paleoclimatic models. Raman heavy mineral analysis, as well as geochronology and geochemistry of detrital apatite, zircon, and rutile, document variation in drainage lithologies and sediment flux which are controlled by regional extensional tectonics and increasingly humid conditions at the PTB. The sedimentary successions of the SE Germanic Basin record climatic perturbations on a 10⁴ years timescale, while the effects of tectonics are visible on a 10⁶ years timescale. The interplay of climate, tectonics and lithology, and their effects on sediment production and drainage evolution resulted in changes in sediment flux from 2.3 Mt./yr during the Guadalupian (Capitanian), to 3.80 Mt./yr in the Lopingian (Changhsingian) to 7.44 Mt./yr at the end of the Lower Triassic (Olenekian). The multifaceted workflow provided in this study represents the first step towards more precise reconstructions of sediment routing systems in deep-time and provides the first ground-truthed quantification of sediment flux across the Permian-Triassic Boundary.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen Germany (DE) Getech Group plc United Kingdom (GB) Trinity College Dublin Ireland (IE)

How to cite

APA:

Caracciolo, L., Ravidà, D., Chew, D., Janßen, M., Luensdorf, K.N., Heins, W.A.,... Stollhofen, H. (2021). Reconstructing environmental signals across the Permian-Triassic boundary in the SE Germanic Basin: A Quantitative Provenance Analysis (QPA) approach. Global and Planetary Change, 206. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2021.103631

MLA:

Caracciolo, Luca, et al. "Reconstructing environmental signals across the Permian-Triassic boundary in the SE Germanic Basin: A Quantitative Provenance Analysis (QPA) approach." Global and Planetary Change 206 (2021).

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