PALEOVEGETATION AND PALEOCLIMATE RECORDS FROM PERMIAN-TRIASSIC TERRESTRIAL SEDIMENTARY SYSTEMS (Invited Presentation)

The Permian-Triassic transition is marked by the largest biodiversity loss and profound changes in the global carbon cycle, and serves as an ancient analogue to the anthropogenic climate change. The understudied terrestrial sedimentary systems provide unique archive to better understand the changes in ecosystem and carbon cycle perturbations across the Permian-Triassic transition. Here, we collect well-preserved leaf fossils and siliciclastic siltstones and mudstones from South China to reconstruct the paleoclimate history from the Late Permian to the Early Triassic. These leaf fossils include the Permian gigantopterids, the Triassic lycopsid Annalepis and peltasperms. Major and trace elements data were collected to understand the paleoenvironmental history and provenance of the samples. Organic carbon isotopes of the bulk organic matter from leaf, wood and the mudstone and siltstone samples were analyzed for the reconstruction of atmospheric CO₂.