STRONTIUM ISOTOPE STRATIGRAPHY OF THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC BOUNDARY INTERVAL OF THE CENTRAL TAURIDES, TURKEY

The largest mass extinction of the Phanerozoic occurred during the Late Permian. The eruption of the Siberian Traps likely contributed to the destruction of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and continued environmental perturbations, including extreme global warming and elevated continental weathering rates, slowed ecosystem recovery. One proxy for continental weathering rates is the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of marine carbonates. During the Late Permian through Early Triassic, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr rose rapidly, consistent with elevated weathering rates. A recent study indicates that the rate of increase in seawater ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr varied throughout the Early Triassic. However, more studies from single carbonate successions spanning this time interval are needed to confirm these trends. In this pilot study, two Permian-Triassic boundary sections from the central Taurides region of Turkey were analyzed for their strontium isotopic composition to determine if primary seawater values, or rising trends, are preserved in these locations. The Permian age Yüglük Tepe Limestone and Triassic Sapadere Formation exposed near Demirtaş, Turkey, and the Permian Çekiç Dagi Formation and Triassic Gevne Formation, exposed near Taşkent, Turkey were analyzed. If trends are preserved, higher resolution sampling at Taşkent will be undertaken to improve the strontium isotope record of the Late Permian and Early Triassic.