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Cited by 210Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsGeology and Paleoclimatology ResearchEvolution and Paleontology Studies

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End-Cretaceous extinction in Antarctica linked to both Deccan volcanism and meteorite impact via climate change

Open access
Petersen, Sierra V., Dutton, Andrea, Lohmann, Kyger C.·2016·Nature Communications
DOI 10.1038/ncomms12079PMC PMC4935969
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Abstract

The cause of the end-Cretaceous (KPg) mass extinction is still debated due to difficulty separating the influences of two closely timed potential causal events: eruption of the Deccan Traps volcanic province and impact of the Chicxulub meteorite. Here we combine published extinction patterns with a new clumped isotope temperature record from a hiatus-free, expanded KPg boundary section from Seymour Island, Antarctica. We document a 7.8±3.3 °C warming synchronous with the onset of Deccan Traps volcanism and a second, smaller warming at the time of meteorite impact. Local warming may have been amplified due to simultaneous disappearance of continental or sea ice. Intra-shell variability indicates a possible reduction in seasonality after Deccan eruptions began, continuing through the meteorite event. Species extinction at Seymour Island occurred in two pulses that coincide with the two observed warming events, directly linking the end-Cretaceous extinction at this site to both volcanic and meteorite events via climate change.

Overview

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TL;DR

A new clumped-isotope temperature record from Seymour Island, Antarctica, shows a 7.8±3.3 °C warming synchronous with Deccan Traps onset and a smaller 1.1±2.7 °C warming at the KPg boundary, each coinciding with a pulse of species extinction. The authors conclude that the end-Cretaceous extinction at this site was linked to both Deccan volcanism and the Chicxulub impact via climate change.

Key findings

  • Clumped isotope temperatures warm from ∼5 °C to ∼14 °C between 68.7 and 67.8 Ma, remain ∼9–12 °C for ∼1 Myr, cool to ∼4 °C from 66.9 to 66.25 Ma, then show a 7.8±3.3 °C warming ∼150 kyr before the KPg boundary and a second 1.1±2.7 °C warming at the boundary; temperatures return to pre-event levels ∼200–400 kyr after the initial spike.
  • Extinction at Seymour Island occurred in two pulses: 10 of 24 species were eliminated before Chicxulub, coinciding with the large warming and Deccan onset, and 14 of 24 species were eliminated at the KPg boundary; the earlier pulse had 9 of 10 benthic species, whereas the later pulse had only 6 of 14 benthic species, and one ammonite species went extinct in the first event versus all remaining six at the KPg boundary.
  • δ18Ow varied from −3.4 to +1.0‰ (mean −1.3±0.8‰) and was highly correlated with temperature; assuming a fixed δ18Ow gives only about half the variability of the clumped isotope record (7 °C versus 12.5 °C range for shells in this study).
  • Deccan CO2 emissions between Chron 29R onset and the KPg boundary are estimated at 270–900 p.p.m. added to a background of ∼360–380 p.p.m.; post-KPB volcanism potentially added another 830–900 p.p.m., with modelling studies predicting 0.5–4 °C global warming and possible local amplification by ice-albedo feedback.

Methods

  • Twenty-nine well-preserved bivalve shells representing five species were selected from the Zinsmeister collection, Units 9 and 10 of the López de Bertodano Formation, Seymour Island; most were sampled at the umbo and ventral margin for δ18O, δ13C, and clumped isotope composition (Δ47), with a larger set of 116 shells analyzed for δ18O and δ13C only.
  • Shell preservation was screened by X-ray diffraction, cathodoluminescence, and trace element thresholds (Fe <500 p.p.m., Mn <200 p.p.m.); an age model was built from published magnetostratigraphy converted to the Zinsmeister stratigraphic framework and corroborated with new and published 87Sr/86Sr data.
  • Temperatures were derived from Δ47 using the Defliese et al. calibration; δ18Ow was calculated from Δ47-derived temperature, shell δ18O, and aragonite-water fractionation; horizon means were inverse-variance weighted, and CO2 emissions were calculated from estimated lava volumes using 14 Tg CO2 km−3 lava.

Limitations

  • The paper states that it is impossible at this point to separate the influences of the meteorite and the additional post-KPB Deccan volcanism in driving the second extinction pulse or the second warming event.
  • The paper notes inherent uncertainty in the magnetostratigraphy-based age model from interpolation and the Geological Time Scale, which was not explicitly accounted for, and that the apparent rapid rate of Deccan warming may be an artifact of variable sampling resolution.
  • The paper states that δ18O-derived temperatures assuming constant δ18Ow are biased and underestimate true variability; the clumped isotope sample set is limited to the best-preserved shells, and horizon averages combine species and shell positions without knowing which best represents mean annual temperature.

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Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/ncomms12079

Cites

62 of 62 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

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Figures

Figure 1 Late Cretaceous temperature and δ18Ow at Seymour Island. (a) Δ47-derived temperature and (b) δ18Ow versus age. The timing of Deccan Traps volcanism733 (orange rectangle) and two extinction pulses10 (black/orange stars) are shown for comparison. Coloured error bars on individual points represent 1 s.e. of the mean of many replicates or the long-term reproducibility of carbonate standards, whichever is larger (see Methods). Horizon averages in a,b were calculated as the inverse variance weighted mean, to account for variable reproducibility of samples, with thick grey error bars showing the inverse variance weighted error on the mean (see Methods). Black line connecting horizon means is dashed to represent extrapolation of temperature and δ18Ow trends between measured horizons. Samples within ±3.5 m stratigraphic position of another sample were combined into a single horizon for horizon means (see Methods). Grey horizontal line in a represents the freezing point (0 °C) and in b represents the ice free, latitude-adjusted seawater value of −1.2‰ (ref. 30). Vertical grey dashed line denotes the KPg boundary (labelled KPB)34. Age model construction is described in Methods. Data for this figure can be found in Supplementary Data 5 and 6.
Figure 1 Late Cretaceous temperature and δ18Ow at Seymour Island. (a) Δ47-derived temperature and (b) δ18Ow versus age. The timing of Deccan Traps volcanism733 (orange rectangle) and two extinction pulses10 (black/orange stars) are shown for comparison. Coloured error bars on individual points represent 1 s.e. of the mean of many replicates or the long-term reproducibility of carbonate standards, whichever is larger (see Methods). Horizon averages in a,b were calculated as the inverse variance weighted mean, to account for variable reproducibility of samples, with thick grey error bars showing the inverse variance weighted error on the mean (see Methods). Black line connecting horizon means is dashed to represent extrapolation of temperature and δ18Ow trends between measured horizons. Samples within ±3.5 m stratigraphic position of another sample were combined into a single horizon for horizon means (see Methods). Grey horizontal line in a represents the freezing point (0 °C) and in b represents the ice free, latitude-adjusted seawater value of −1.2‰ (ref. 30). Vertical grey dashed line denotes the KPg boundary (labelled KPB)34. Age model construction is described in Methods. Data for this figure can be found in Supplementary Data 5 and 6.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 2 Position-specific differences. Differences in (a) temperature, (b) δ13C and (c) δ18Ow for Lahillia and Cucullaea versus age. All differences calculated as the umbo minus the ventral margin value (umb-vm), with the horizontal grey line at 0 representing no difference between positions. Error bars are 1 s.e. for temperature and δ18Ow and 1 s.d. for δ13C, propagated through the difference calculation. Lahillia consistently shows warmer temperatures, and higher δ13C and δ18Ow in the umbo relative to the ventral margin (+ difference). Cucullaea generally shows the opposite, with warmer temperatures, and higher δ13C and δ18Ow in the ventral margin relative to the umbo (– difference), although this pattern is less consistent. After the pre-KPB warming spike, the position-specific differences in temperature and δ18Ow for both Lahillia and Cucullaea decrease to within error of zero and remain low until the end of the study interval. Differences in δ13C remain fairly constant through the section. Vertical grey dashed line represents the KPg boundary (labelled KPB)34 and orange dotted line represents the timing of the first extinction event10. Age model construction is described in Methods.
Figure 2 Position-specific differences. Differences in (a) temperature, (b) δ13C and (c) δ18Ow for Lahillia and Cucullaea versus age. All differences calculated as the umbo minus the ventral margin value (umb-vm), with the horizontal grey line at 0 representing no difference between positions. Error bars are 1 s.e. for temperature and δ18Ow and 1 s.d. for δ13C, propagated through the difference calculation. Lahillia consistently shows warmer temperatures, and higher δ13C and δ18Ow in the umbo relative to the ventral margin (+ difference). Cucullaea generally shows the opposite, with warmer temperatures, and higher δ13C and δ18Ow in the ventral margin relative to the umbo (– difference), although this pattern is less consistent. After the pre-KPB warming spike, the position-specific differences in temperature and δ18Ow for both Lahillia and Cucullaea decrease to within error of zero and remain low until the end of the study interval. Differences in δ13C remain fairly constant through the section. Vertical grey dashed line represents the KPg boundary (labelled KPB)34 and orange dotted line represents the timing of the first extinction event10. Age model construction is described in Methods.CC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 3 Comparison of Δ47-derived and δ18O-derived temperature records. Horizon mean Δ47-derived temperature shown in black with grey error bars (same as Fig. 1a). Horizon mean was calculated as the inverse variance weighted mean, to account for variable reproducibility of samples, with error bars showing the inverse variance weighted error on the mean (see Methods). Line connecting horizon means is dashed to represent extrapolation of temperature trends between measured horizons. Samples within ±3.5 m stratigraphic position of another sample were combined into a single horizon for horizon means (see Methods). δ18O-derived temperature calculated from horizon mean δ18O (this study) shown in dark turquoise circles with error bars representing 1 s.d. on δ18O, propagated through the δ18O-T-δ18Ow relationship12. Published δ18O-derived temperature record from Tobin et al.10, with age model updated to match this study, shown in light green triangles with error bars representing 1 s.e. on the mean of all sample replicates within a given time bin. Both δ18O-derived temperature records assume a δ18Ow value of −1.0‰ (ice-free, globally constant)29. If δ18Ow was instead assumed to be −1.2‰ (ice-free, latitude-adjusted)30, the shape of the δ18O-derived curves would be identical but shifted ∼1 °C colder. The two δ18O-derived temperature curves miss the million-year cool/warm/cool temperature structure, underestimate the magnitude of the pre-KPB warming event and infer an earlier timing for the onset of warming, and do not capture the full range of temperatures seen in the Δ47-derived temperature record. Vertical grey dashed line represents the KPg boundary (labelled KPB)34 and orange dotted line represents the timing of the first extinction event10. Age model construction is described in Methods.
Figure 3 Comparison of Δ47-derived and δ18O-derived temperature records. Horizon mean Δ47-derived temperature shown in black with grey error bars (same as Fig. 1a). Horizon mean was calculated as the inverse variance weighted mean, to account for variable reproducibility of samples, with error bars showing the inverse variance weighted error on the mean (see Methods). Line connecting horizon means is dashed to represent extrapolation of temperature trends between measured horizons. Samples within ±3.5 m stratigraphic position of another sample were combined into a single horizon for horizon means (see Methods). δ18O-derived temperature calculated from horizon mean δ18O (this study) shown in dark turquoise circles with error bars representing 1 s.d. on δ18O, propagated through the δ18O-T-δ18Ow relationship12. Published δ18O-derived temperature record from Tobin et al.10, with age model updated to match this study, shown in light green triangles with error bars representing 1 s.e. on the mean of all sample replicates within a given time bin. Both δ18O-derived temperature records assume a δ18Ow value of −1.0‰ (ice-free, globally constant)29. If δ18Ow was instead assumed to be −1.2‰ (ice-free, latitude-adjusted)30, the shape of the δ18O-derived curves would be identical but shifted ∼1 °C colder. The two δ18O-derived temperature curves miss the million-year cool/warm/cool temperature structure, underestimate the magnitude of the pre-KPB warming event and infer an earlier timing for the onset of warming, and do not capture the full range of temperatures seen in the Δ47-derived temperature record. Vertical grey dashed line represents the KPg boundary (labelled KPB)34 and orange dotted line represents the timing of the first extinction event10. Age model construction is described in Methods.CC BY · PubMed Central

Verification

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Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Palamarczuk, S. et al. Las Formaciones López de Bertodano y Sobral en la Isla Vicecomodoro Marambio, Antártida: IX Congreso Geológico Argentino. Actas 1, 399–419 (1984).
  2. Ogg, J. G. in The Geologic Time Scale eds Gradstein F. M., Ogg J. G., Schmitz M. D., Ogg G. M. vol. 1, chap. 5Elsevier: Oxford, (2012).
  3. McArthur, J. M., Howarth, R. J. & Shields, G. A. in The Geologic Time Scale eds Gradstein F. M., Ogg J. G., Schmitz M. D., Ogg G. M. vol. 1, chap. 7Elsevier: Oxford, (2012).

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Metadata

Authors
Petersen, S. V., Dutton, A., & Lohmann, K. C.
Affiliations
  • University of Michigan (US)
  • University of Florida (US)
Corresponding author
Petersen, Sierra V.
ORCID
Venue
Nature Communications
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2016-07-05
Volume
7
Issue
1
Pages
12079-12079
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/ncomms12079
PMC
PMC4935969
OpenAlex
W2465856649
Semantic Scholar
a1054903a89b442a80bc22c5fea2b541f983c2e1
Cited by
210
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 2
FWCI
13.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
National Science Foundation (1123733, 9980538, 9318212, 1420902)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
Keywords
end-Cretaceous mass extinction, Chicxulub impact, Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, global warming, clumped isotopes, sea ice decline, seasonal variation, extinction pulses, Seymour Island, Antarctica, paleoclimate

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