SOLAR WINDS AS A POSSIBLE CAUSE OF THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC BOUNDARY EXTINCTION

The Earth nearly died at the Permian and Triassic (P-T) boundary (251 Ma). Several explanations have been suggested, but none has been universally accepted. The kill mechanism must simultaneously explain the following characteristics of the P-T boundary mass extinction: (1) mass mortality on land and in sea, (2) geochemical changes in ocean and atmosphere, (3) the occurrence of C60 in P-T boundary strata, (4) the presence helium with extraterrestrial isotopic compositions, and (5) a rapid extinction period.

The severity of the P-T boundary mass extinction suggests that the agent of this mass mortality was so powerful that dominated Earth’s internal process. Such mechanisms are most likely of extraterrestrial origin. The bolide impact mechanism of the extinction has been considered, but the supporting evidence (shocked quartz, spherules, impact ejecta, and major Ir anomaly) are lacking. Solar winds offer a viable kill mechanism, one that accounts for all of the P-T boundary characteristics. The Sun contains 98% of the mass of our solar system, with coronal temperatures of over one million K. Nearly 1.3 million earths can fit inside the Sun. Solar winds originate from the Sun’s corona, compose primarily of hydrogen and helium, travel at a speed of 400-800 km/s, contain weak magnetic field, and carry massive electrical charge. Earth’s magnetic field prevents ordinary solar winds to reach the Earth’s surface. Powerful and less frequent solar winds, however, can easily disrupt Earth’s magnetosphere and destroy the protective ozone layer, causing the ultraviolet rays, proton and alpha particles to bombard Earth’s surface. Such an event can result in a mass mortality of the magnitude that occurred at the P-T boundary. This bombardment leaves clues on the earth surface and can be looked for.

Stratigraphic and geochemical characteristics of P-T boundary strata in Abadeh region in Iran are interpreted in light of the solar wind extinction mechanism.