End-Triassic mass extinction + Fungal proliferation before and after the K-Pg mass extinction + Jurassic–Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem evolution in Asia
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Ben Creisler
May 13, 2026, 3:01:53 PM (3 days ago) May 13
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Ben Creisler
Recent geology-related papers:
Linhao Fang, Robert J. Newton, Xiaoyu Zhang, Hongjia Li, Guangli Wang, Shenghui Deng, Paul B. Wignall, Yuanzheng Lu, Chaokun Zhang, Meijun Li, Huaichun Wu, Tianchen He, Benzhong Xian, Shengbao Shi, Lei Zhu, Simon H. Bottrell, and Stephen P. Hesselbo (2026)
Pulsed volcanic sulfur emissions linked to the end-Triassic terrestrial crisis
Science Advances 12(20): eadz6570
DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adz6570
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adz6570
Free pdf:
https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.adz6570
The end-Triassic mass extinction (ETE) was triggered by Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) volcanism, which released voluminous carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and halogens into the atmosphere, affecting marine and terrestrial ecosystems, but the mechanism driving terrestrial crisis remains unclear. Here, we investigate two terrestrial Triassic-Jurassic sections in high- and low/middle- paleolatitudes, finding synchronous anomalies of mercury concentration, sulfur (S) isotopes, S-associated molecular fossils, and biomarkers (retene, pimanthrene, and coronene), indicating that peak volcanic sulfur deposition coincided with floral diversity loss and fern spikes, and intensified high-temperature wildfires over an interval of ~60,000 years. We propose that the pulse of maximum CAMP eruptions rapidly increased volcanic-S influxes (acid rain) to terrestrial basins, leading to catastrophic plant dieback during the ETE. The consequent creation of moisture-free biomass supplied fuel for increasingly frequent and widespread intense wildfires, occurring even on a global scale.
Nan Wang, Zhiyong Zhang, Peter Luffi, Zhiheng Li, Robert A Spicer, Zhiqiang Yu, Bo Wan, Jing-Jing Zhu, Jien Zhang, Songjian Ao, Dongfang Song, Dunfeng Xiang, Chao Guo & Wenjiao Xiao (2026)
Orogeny and topography influenced Jurassic–Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem evolution in northeastern Asia
National Science Review 13(6): nwag100
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwag100
https://academic.oup.com/nsr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nsr/nwag100/8482782
Tectonic processes are often invoked to explain ecosystem changes, but their precise effects remain elusive. This study focuses on Jurassic–Cretaceous Northeastern Asia, linking the flourishing of the globally exceptional Yanliao and Jehol Biotas, which are temporally successive biotas with distinct species composition, to a prominent tectonic transition from crustal shortening to extension. We estimated paleo-elevation and paleo-temperature variations using whole-rock chemical parameters from Jurassic–Early Cretaceous continental arcs. Combined with published paleoclimate and paleontological records, our findings suggest that Mid–Late Jurassic plate convergence in Northeastern Asia created high elevations and complex topography with vertically zoned micro-environments, promoting the emergence of Yanliao Biota. In the Early Cretaceous, following recovery from a warm and arid climate interval across the Jurassic–Cretaceous transition, enhanced topographic ruggedness due to tectonic extension and local topographic/climate heterogeneity, diversified the Jehol Biota. This highly sculpted Northeastern Asia upland (2.0–4.5 km) hosted a wide spectrum of ecological niches under a relatively cool but heterogeneous climate, creating a key cradle for biodiversification.
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Free pdf:
Linhao Fang, Robert J. Newton, Xiaoyu Zhang, Hongjia Li, Guangli Wang, Shenghui Deng, Paul B. Wignall, Yuanzheng Lu, Chaokun Zhang, Meijun Li, Huaichun Wu, Tianchen He, Benzhong Xian, Shengbao Shi, Lei Zhu, Simon H. Bottrell, and Stephen P. Hesselbo (2026)
Pulsed volcanic sulfur emissions linked to the end-Triassic terrestrial crisis
Science Advances 12(20): eadz6570
DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adz6570
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adz6570
Free pdf:
https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.adz6570
The end-Triassic mass extinction (ETE) was triggered by Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) volcanism, which released voluminous carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and halogens into the atmosphere, affecting marine and terrestrial ecosystems, but the mechanism driving terrestrial crisis remains unclear. Here, we investigate two terrestrial Triassic-Jurassic sections in high- and low/middle- paleolatitudes, finding synchronous anomalies of mercury concentration, sulfur (S) isotopes, S-associated molecular fossils, and biomarkers (retene, pimanthrene, and coronene), indicating that peak volcanic sulfur deposition coincided with floral diversity loss and fern spikes, and intensified high-temperature wildfires over an interval of ~60,000 years. We propose that the pulse of maximum CAMP eruptions rapidly increased volcanic-S influxes (acid rain) to terrestrial basins, leading to catastrophic plant dieback during the ETE. The consequent creation of moisture-free biomass supplied fuel for increasingly frequent and widespread intense wildfires, occurring even on a global scale.
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Jing Lia, Huyue Song, David P.G. Bond, Paul B. Wignall, Yong Du & Haijun Song (2026)
On the causes of the end-Triassic mass extinction
Earth-Science Reviews 105542
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2026.105542
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012825226001534
The end-Triassic Mass Extinction (ETME) was one of the most severe biotic crises of the Phanerozoic. The ETME was marked by the extinction of conodonts and severe declines among ammonites, bivalves, brachiopods, and reef-building taxa. This catastrophe coincides with the emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), suggesting a temporal and causal relationship. Additionally, globally distributed sedimentary mercury anomalies (Hg/TOC peaks and volcanogenic Δ199Hg signals) further link volcanogenic Hg emissions to the ETME. A cascade of environmental disturbances triggered by CAMP volcanism through magmatic outgassing and contact metamorphism likely played a driving role in causing the terrestrial and marine crises. Here, we review the extinction patterns of the ETME, CAMP-driven environmental and biogeochemical perturbations, and their synergistic causal relationships. Evidence indicates that the ETME occurred rapidly as a two-phased event within ~100 kyr. On land, ecosystem stress and collapse was marked by deforestation, extensive wildfires and acid rain together with global warming. This last factor intensified continental weathering and increased terrestrial runoff that likely promoted eutrophication and water-column stratification, ultimately causing the widespread marine anoxia/euxinia that is implicated in the marine crisis. Furthermore, these drivers also acted in concert to disrupt biogeochemical cycles (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur), inducing a scarcity of bioavailable nitrogen and a drawdown of seawater sulfate concentrations that further stressed environments and ecosystems.
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On the causes of the end-Triassic mass extinction
Earth-Science Reviews 105542
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2026.105542
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012825226001534
The end-Triassic Mass Extinction (ETME) was one of the most severe biotic crises of the Phanerozoic. The ETME was marked by the extinction of conodonts and severe declines among ammonites, bivalves, brachiopods, and reef-building taxa. This catastrophe coincides with the emplacement of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), suggesting a temporal and causal relationship. Additionally, globally distributed sedimentary mercury anomalies (Hg/TOC peaks and volcanogenic Δ199Hg signals) further link volcanogenic Hg emissions to the ETME. A cascade of environmental disturbances triggered by CAMP volcanism through magmatic outgassing and contact metamorphism likely played a driving role in causing the terrestrial and marine crises. Here, we review the extinction patterns of the ETME, CAMP-driven environmental and biogeochemical perturbations, and their synergistic causal relationships. Evidence indicates that the ETME occurred rapidly as a two-phased event within ~100 kyr. On land, ecosystem stress and collapse was marked by deforestation, extensive wildfires and acid rain together with global warming. This last factor intensified continental weathering and increased terrestrial runoff that likely promoted eutrophication and water-column stratification, ultimately causing the widespread marine anoxia/euxinia that is implicated in the marine crisis. Furthermore, these drivers also acted in concert to disrupt biogeochemical cycles (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur), inducing a scarcity of bioavailable nitrogen and a drawdown of seawater sulfate concentrations that further stressed environments and ecosystems.
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Rosanna P. Baker and Arturo Casadevall (2026)
Fungal proliferation before and after the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction event in North America
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 123(20): e2536899123
doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2536899123
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2536899123
Significance
Fungal proliferation in geologic samples can signify major ecosystem disruptions. Such spikes are documented globally for the Permian-Triassic extinction but for the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction have been reported previously only in New Zealand. Here, we describe a North American fungal bloom that occurred immediately after the Chicxulub meteorite impact, as well as an earlier fungal spike in the Late Cretaceous that coincided with a cooling event hypothesized to have been driven by the intense Deccan volcanism in a tectonic plate that is in present-day India. The temporal association between the Late Cretaceous fungal proliferative episode with Deccan volcanism suggests ecological upheaval occurring tens of thousands of years before the bolide impact, which may have contributed to the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.
Abstract
Palynological evidence of postcatastrophe fungal proliferation after global calamities has been found for the Permian–Triassic and Cretaceous–Paleogene (K/Pg) extinction events. However, unlike the globally documented post-Permian fungal bloom, evidence of a post-Cretaceous event has previously been limited to a single site in New Zealand. Our analysis of a K/Pg boundary section from the Denver Basin in Colorado revealed a fungal proliferative spike occurring immediately after the Chicxulub meteorite impact. The discovery of a postimpact fungal bloom in North America corroborates the New Zealand finding and supports the interpretation that this was a global phenomenon. We also identified a prolonged interval of elevated fungal abundance in the Late Cretaceous, dating to approximately 30,000 to 10,000 y before the impact, temporally correlated to a period of climatic cooling at the site and intriguingly coincident with the high-volume Poladpur phase of the Deccan Traps volcanic eruptions. Taken together with reports of fungal expansion following prior global calamities, these findings indicate that fungi can often flourish in the aftermath of ecosystem-level collapse. Given the capacity of fungi to cause disease in both plants and animals, the occurrence of fungal proliferative events has potential implications for the recovery of species surviving global cataclysms.
Fungal proliferation before and after the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction event in North America
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 123(20): e2536899123
doi: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2536899123
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2536899123
Significance
Fungal proliferation in geologic samples can signify major ecosystem disruptions. Such spikes are documented globally for the Permian-Triassic extinction but for the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction have been reported previously only in New Zealand. Here, we describe a North American fungal bloom that occurred immediately after the Chicxulub meteorite impact, as well as an earlier fungal spike in the Late Cretaceous that coincided with a cooling event hypothesized to have been driven by the intense Deccan volcanism in a tectonic plate that is in present-day India. The temporal association between the Late Cretaceous fungal proliferative episode with Deccan volcanism suggests ecological upheaval occurring tens of thousands of years before the bolide impact, which may have contributed to the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.
Abstract
Palynological evidence of postcatastrophe fungal proliferation after global calamities has been found for the Permian–Triassic and Cretaceous–Paleogene (K/Pg) extinction events. However, unlike the globally documented post-Permian fungal bloom, evidence of a post-Cretaceous event has previously been limited to a single site in New Zealand. Our analysis of a K/Pg boundary section from the Denver Basin in Colorado revealed a fungal proliferative spike occurring immediately after the Chicxulub meteorite impact. The discovery of a postimpact fungal bloom in North America corroborates the New Zealand finding and supports the interpretation that this was a global phenomenon. We also identified a prolonged interval of elevated fungal abundance in the Late Cretaceous, dating to approximately 30,000 to 10,000 y before the impact, temporally correlated to a period of climatic cooling at the site and intriguingly coincident with the high-volume Poladpur phase of the Deccan Traps volcanic eruptions. Taken together with reports of fungal expansion following prior global calamities, these findings indicate that fungi can often flourish in the aftermath of ecosystem-level collapse. Given the capacity of fungi to cause disease in both plants and animals, the occurrence of fungal proliferative events has potential implications for the recovery of species surviving global cataclysms.
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Now in final form:
Free pdf:
Nan Wang, Zhiyong Zhang, Peter Luffi, Zhiheng Li, Robert A Spicer, Zhiqiang Yu, Bo Wan, Jing-Jing Zhu, Jien Zhang, Songjian Ao, Dongfang Song, Dunfeng Xiang, Chao Guo & Wenjiao Xiao (2026)
Orogeny and topography influenced Jurassic–Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem evolution in northeastern Asia
National Science Review 13(6): nwag100
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwag100
https://academic.oup.com/nsr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nsr/nwag100/8482782
Tectonic processes are often invoked to explain ecosystem changes, but their precise effects remain elusive. This study focuses on Jurassic–Cretaceous Northeastern Asia, linking the flourishing of the globally exceptional Yanliao and Jehol Biotas, which are temporally successive biotas with distinct species composition, to a prominent tectonic transition from crustal shortening to extension. We estimated paleo-elevation and paleo-temperature variations using whole-rock chemical parameters from Jurassic–Early Cretaceous continental arcs. Combined with published paleoclimate and paleontological records, our findings suggest that Mid–Late Jurassic plate convergence in Northeastern Asia created high elevations and complex topography with vertically zoned micro-environments, promoting the emergence of Yanliao Biota. In the Early Cretaceous, following recovery from a warm and arid climate interval across the Jurassic–Cretaceous transition, enhanced topographic ruggedness due to tectonic extension and local topographic/climate heterogeneity, diversified the Jehol Biota. This highly sculpted Northeastern Asia upland (2.0–4.5 km) hosted a wide spectrum of ecological niches under a relatively cool but heterogeneous climate, creating a key cradle for biodiversification.
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