CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTION UTILIZING CLIMATE-SENSITIVE SEDIMENTS AT THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC BOUNDARY

During the Phanerozoic, at the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB; 251.902 ±0.024 Ma), life nearly ceased to exist; more than 90% of aquatic species and 70% of terrestrial species were lost. This study aims to expand previous studies of climate-sensitive sediments from the Late Permian-Early Triassic in order to reconstruct paleo-biomes and climatic conditions at that time. Location points from an existing climate-sensitive sediment database are utilized to derive paleo-coordinates using the software GPlates 2.0. Sediments are plotted by stages (Wuchiapingian and Changhsingian) for the upper Permian and (Induan and Olenekian) for the lower Triassic. The sediments are compared to results from a low-resolution PTB climate simulation with the Community Climate System Model (CCSM3). Evaporites, oil source rocks and carbonates of the Wuchiapingian stage correspond with the dry subtropical region of Pangea in the PTB simulation. During the Changhsingian, evaporites appear in the dry subtropical and cool subtropical regions. Reefs, carbonates and oil source rocks are found in dry subtropical regions of Pangea. Data for the Induan and Olenekian are currently limited and only include evaporites. By mapping climate-sensitive sediments through these four stages surrounding the Permian-Triassic boundary, changes in climate conditions over time will be inferred.