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

合作研究：南极洲的二叠纪-三叠纪转变：评估陆地有机质中碳同位素波动的速率和变异性

• 批准号: 1039365
• 负责人: Susan Rimmer
• 金额: $ 4.1万
• 依托单位: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-28 至 2012-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1039365&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: COLLABORATIVE; RESEARCH; Permian; Triassic; Transition

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.

本项目研究记录在南极横贯南极山脉沉积岩中的二叠纪-三叠纪灭绝事件。两亿五千万年前，地球上的大多数生命在地质瞬间灭绝了。这一事业是一个备受争议的话题。研究人员在沙克尔顿冰川附近发现了一个独特的地层剖面，这是在灭绝事件期间形成的。这些沉积物中的有机物将通过密度梯度离心（DGC）进行分析，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穿插火山的U/ pb -锆石定年法精确测定。综合起来，这些结果将提供灭绝期间碳同位素漂移的时间和持续时间的详细限制，并提供对海洋和陆地碳循环耦合的见解。该项目的更广泛影响包括研究生和本科生的研究，K12的推广和教师的参与，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。