GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, USA - 2016

Paper No. 51-10
Presentation Time: 4:00 PM

FLORAL, BACTERIAL AND ORGANIC CARBON ISOTOPE CHANGES ACROSS THE NON-MARINE PERMO-TRIASSIC BOUNDARY AT WYBUNG HEAD, AUSTRALIA AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE


STEBBINS, Alan G., School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey BLVD, Boston, MA 02125, BROOKFIELD, Michael, School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125, JHA, Neerja, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53, University Road, Lucknow, 226007, India and HANNIGAN, Robyn, School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125, alan.stebbins001@umb.edu

The Permo-Triassic boundary section at Wybung Head, eastern Australia shows a rapid change from Permian coals to Triassic semi-arid silty floodplain deposits with a thin clay and coal breccia and paleosols between. The flora changes occur above the coal breccia in the paleosols. Total organic carbon drops from >30% in the coal, through <5% in the breccia to <1 % in the paleosols and silts. The organic δ13C values remain constant at ~ -25.5‰ in the coal and coal breccia but then decrease to variable -26‰ to <-27‰ in the paleosols and silts. The lowest values correspond with bacteria in the samples. These results confirm in more detail, the rapid overall sedimentary, floral and organic carbon isotope changes across the non-marine PTr boundary in eastern Australia. Fungal studies are in progress and will be reported if completed.