COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: The Permian -Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuatios in Terrestrial Organic Matter

本项目研究南极洲横贯南极山脉沉积岩中记录的二叠纪-三叠纪灭绝事件。2.5亿年前，地球上的大多数生命在地质学上的瞬间消失了。原因是一个大辩论的主题。研究人员在沙克尔顿冰川附近确定了一个独特的地层剖面，该剖面是在灭绝事件期间形成的。将通过密度梯度离心法（DGC）分析这些沉积物中的有机物，这将提供有关碳同位素组成的详细信息。这些层的年龄将通过夹层火山岩的U/Pb-锆石定年来精确定年。结合起来，这些结果将提供详细的时间和持续时间的碳同位素漂移灭绝期间的限制，并提供洞察海洋和陆地碳循环的耦合。该项目的更广泛影响包括研究生和本科生研究，K12推广和教师参与，以及结果的社会相关性，因为P/T灭绝可能是由甲烷释放等现象引起的，这可能伴随着全球变暖。

This project studies the Permian-Triassic extinction event as recorded in sedimentary rocks from the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. Two hundred and fifty million years ago most life on Earth was wiped out in a geologic instant. The cause is a subject of great debate. Researchers have identified a unique stratigraphic section near Shackleton glacier laid down during the extinction event. Organic matter from these deposits will be analyzed by density gradient centrifugation (DGC), which will offer detailed information on the carbon isotope composition. The age of these layers will be precisely dated by U/Pb-zircon-dating of intercalated volcanics. Combined, these results will offer detailed constraints on the timing and duration of carbon isotope excursions during the extinction, and offer insight into the coupling of marine and terrestrial carbon cycles. The broader impacts of this project include graduate and undergraduate student research, K12 outreach and teacher involvement, and societal relevance of the results, since the P/T extinction may have been caused by phenomena such as methane release, which could accompany global warming.