CATASTROPHIC COAL FLY-ASH AND TOXIC METAL DEPOSITION IN THE LATEST PERMIAN OCEAN

We show that significant deposition of coally-derived pyrolyctic particles occurred in the latest Permian ocean, that hold remarkable similarity to fly-ash particles generated by modern coal-fired power plants. The large-scale deposition of pyrolyctic compounds formed by rapid combustion of Permian coal and organic-rich sediments provides a direct temporal linkage for significant thermal metamorphism of coal just prior to the Latest Permian Extinction event boundary. This provides the first direct temporal linkage between thermo metamorphism of coal beds and the extinction event. Catastrophic dispersion of coal fly-ash may have severely impacted marine biogeochemistry, creating uninhabitable marine conditions similar to release of coal “fly-ash slurries”. Associated release of highly concentrated toxic metals and nutrients in fly-ash may have placed additional stress on the global ecosystem.