The Emeishan large igneous province (LIP), southwestern China and northern Vietnam, is thought to have been a potential driver for the biotic crises and paleoclimate changes around the Guadalupian-Lopingian boundary (GLB; Permian), but the lack of high-precision radiometric dates to constrain the duration and eruption rates of the volcanism has limited the assessment of their relationship. We present new chemical abrasion–isotope dilution–isotope ratio mass spectrometry U-Pb zircon geochronology of three samples from the lowermost and uppermost parts of the volcanic succession in the central portion of the Emeishan LIP. The results demonstrate that Emeishan volcanism began by 260.55 ± 0.07 Ma and persisted until at least 257.22 ± 0.37 Ma. Combined with a previously published age of 259.1 ± 0.5 Ma for silicic ignimbrites, we estimate that ~85% of Emeishan LIP volume erupted within 1.45 ± 0.50 m.y. Our new results confirm that the Emeishan volcanism began slightly prior to the initiation of the associated mass extinction event and was contemporaneous with the associated warming interval. The new data support the hypothesis that the Emeishan LIP likely triggered the biotic crises and paleoclimate changes around the GLB.
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Research Article|
June 21, 2022
Eruptive tempo of Emeishan large igneous province, southwestern China and northern Vietnam: Relations to biotic crises and paleoclimate changes around the Guadalupian-Lopingian boundary
Hu Huang;
Hu Huang
1
State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Institute of Sedimentary Geology, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
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Magdalena H. Huyskens;
Magdalena H. Huyskens
2
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, California 95616-8605, USA
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Qing-Zhu Yin;
Qing-Zhu Yin
2
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, California 95616-8605, USA
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Peter A. Cawood;
Peter A. Cawood
3
School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
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Mingcai Hou;
Mingcai Hou
1
State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Institute of Sedimentary Geology, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
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Jianghai Yang;
Jianghai Yang
4
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
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Fuhao Xiong;
Fuhao Xiong
1
State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Institute of Sedimentary Geology, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
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Yuansheng Du;
Yuansheng Du
4
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
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Chenchen Yang
Chenchen Yang
1
State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Institute of Sedimentary Geology, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
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Geology (2022)
Article history
received:
02 Mar 2022
rev-recd:
21 Apr 2022
accepted:
27 Apr 2022
first online:
21 Jun 2022
Citation
Hu Huang, Magdalena H. Huyskens, Qing-Zhu Yin, Peter A. Cawood, Mingcai Hou, Jianghai Yang, Fuhao Xiong, Yuansheng Du, Chenchen Yang; Eruptive tempo of Emeishan large igneous province, southwestern China and northern Vietnam: Relations to biotic crises and paleoclimate changes around the Guadalupian-Lopingian boundary. Geology 2022; doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G50183.1
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