Conodont Biostratigraphy and Chronocorrelation of the Late Paleozoic to Triassic World: A Time of Climate and Biodiversity Change

用生物地层学、数值测年、古地磁学和地球化学趋势等所有可用的手段来证明事件的时间等效性或时间相关性。晚古生代和三叠纪(355-200 Ma)世界的时间相关性与我们今天在地球上目睹的变化直接相关，包括气候变化和生物多样性的戏剧性变化。这项研究就像完成了一个名为二叠纪世界的拼图游戏，但封面上没有图片；有些碎片是可用的，另一些是变形的。为了解决这一难题，调查必须是全球性的，主要将涉及许多盆地的牙形刺生物地层学研究。牙形刺是一种类似鳗鱼的小动物，其唯一坚硬的部分包括微小的牙齿；这些牙齿形状的进化变化代表了生物地层学的主要基础。具体的科学方法包括：1)收集和分析许多岩石剖面的详细样品，以建立生物地层学框架，协助建立晚古生代和三叠纪各种物理和生物事件的对比；2)与无机和有机地球化学(如锶和碳同位素)、地质年代学、沉积学、古气候模拟和其他古生物学领域的其他研究人员合作，以便建立必要的高分辨率框架。例如，锶同位素工作代表了生物地理省之间相互关联的一种创新方法。这项研究的意义在于，我们今天正在经历或预期的许多变化都是发生在晚古生代和三叠纪的事件的预兆。宾夕法尼亚和早二叠纪见证了导致海平面快速变化(旋回)的冰川和间冰期事件，这一问题与当前全球变暖辩论的后果特别相关。三叠纪开始于地球最大的灭绝之后，作为一个几乎没有生命的荒凉世界，但生命在一系列脉冲中恢复。这项研究开发的许多地质历史也与研究加拿大西部和北极的常规和非常规油气藏有关。

Demonstrating the time equivalence of events, or chronocorrelation, involves all available means including biostratigraphy, numerical dating, paleomagnetism and geochemical trends. Chronocorrelation of the Late Paleozoic and Triassic (355-200 Ma) world has immediate relevance to changes we are witnessing today on Earth, including climate change and dramatic changes in biodiversity. The research is like completing a jig-saw puzzle called the Permian World, but there is no picture on the cover; some pieces are available and others are deformed. To solve the puzzle the investigations must be global, and will primarily involve conodont biostratigraphic studies in numerous basins. Conodonts were small eel-like animals whose only hard parts included microscopic teeth; evolutionary changes in the shape of these teeth represent the primary basis for biostratigraphy. The specific scientific approaches include 1) the collection and analysis of detailed samples from numerous rock sections in order to establish a biostratigraphic framework, to assist correlation of various physical and biologic events during the Late Paleozoic and Triassic; and 2) collaboration with other researchers in the areas of inorganic and organic geochemistry (e.g. Sr- and C-isotopes), geochronology, sedimentology, paleoclimate modeling, and other paleontology in order to facilitate the necessary high resolution framework. For example, Sr-isotope work represents an innovative approach to correlating between biogeographic provinces. The significance of this research is that many of the changes we are experiencing or anticipating today are foreshadowed by events that occurred during the Late Paleozoic and Triassic. The Pennsylvanian and Early Permian were witness to glacial and interglacial events resulting in rapid sea-level changes (cyclothems), an issue particularly relevant to the consequences of current global warming debate. The Triassic began after Earth's greatest extinction as a desolate world nearly barren of life, but life recovered in a series of pulses. Many of the geologic histories developed by this research are also relevant to study of both conventional and unconventional oil and gas reservoirs in Western and Arctic Canada.