Carbon and Sulfur Isotope Stratigraphy of the Permian and Adjacent Intervals

Abstract

The Permian was a most unusual period in geologic history. It was marked by repeated largescale climate changes, major extinction events, abrupt and extensive volcanic activity (the Siberian traps), and an unusual degree of continental agglomeration. However, the uniqueness of Permian ocean water chemistry stands out even among all these other factors. The isotopic compositions of seawater sulfur, carbon, and strontium all reached the most extreme values developed at any time during the Phanerozoic. Perhaps even more significantly, all three elements underwent rapid shifts back to ``normal'' values at or near the Permo-Triassic boundary.