Massive perturbations to atmospheric sulfur in the aftermath of the Chicxulub impact
Christopher K. Junium, Aubrey L. Zerkle, James D. Witts, Linda C. Ivany, Thomas E. Yancey, Chengjie Liu, Mark W. Claire
Abstract
Significance Sulfur isotopes confirm a key role for atmospheric sulfur gases in climatic cooling, mass extinction, and the demise of dinosaurs and other global biota after the Chicxulub bolide impact at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. The sulfur isotope anomalies are confined to beds containing ejecta and, in the immediately overlying sediments, are temporally unrelated to known episodes of volcanism that also bracket this event, further addressing the controversial role of the Deccan Traps in the extinction.
Topics & Concepts
Extinction eventEjectaImpact craterSulfurVolcanismBiotaGeologyExtinction (optical mineralogy)Deccan TrapsPaleogenePaleontologyEarth scienceAtmospheric sciencesCretaceousAstrobiologyChemistryTectonicsPhysicsEcologyDemographyPopulationBiological dispersalOrganic chemistrySociologySupernovaBiologyQuantum mechanicsPaleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsGeological and Geochemical AnalysisGeology and Paleoclimatology Research