EVALUATING PTB REDOX CONDITIONS IN RELATION TO S-CYCLE AND TRACE ELEMENTS

The Goose Egg Formation like other areas in the Western United States was subject to major anoxic events during the Permian Triassic period. I will test the hypothesis that organic carbon rich units in the Goose Egg Formation were deposited under euxinic conditions and non-black shales were deposited under oxygenated conditions. The central objective of my research is to understand how the Sulfur Cycle has evolved in relation to global change linked to mass extinctions and widespread global oceanic anoxic events through geochemical technique. I will perform Sulfur and Trace Elements analysis of the Permian Triassic Boundary. The Permian-Triassic boundary mass extinction at 252Ma was the largest biotic crisis in earth’s history, during which 90% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial species died out. The marine extinction event lasted 60kyr and was linked to environmental changes triggered by eruption of the Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province and the release of massive volumes of greenhouse gases. I will use various S techniques such as degree of pyritization, S isotopes, and framboidal pyrite analysis to understand the changes in paleoenvironmental conditions during the PT extinction. Degree of pyritization will measure the ratio pyrite iron that will give insights to the depositional environment of a sediment. Sulfur isotope ratios of sedimentary sulfides are shown to yield important information concerning the paleoenvironmental conditions during their formation. Sulfur isotope ratios in ancient sulfate deposits have led to important information on variations in composition of ancient oceans. These variations result from differences in sulfide net burial rates and sulfates in sediments that are vital to understanding atmospheric and oceanic evolution. Framboidal pyrite analysis will be utilized as a paleo-redox proxy and bio marker for ancient sediment evaluation of our samples. Because we are facing a rapidly warming planet, a look into the Permian Triassic extinction period could give us a glimpse into future global warming events. This work will provide useful information on how greenhouse gases, ocean anoxia, and carbon burial interact.