Intensified continental chemical weathering and carbon-cycle perturbations linked to volcanism during the Triassic–Jurassic transition

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-27965-x
• Publication Date: 2022-01-18T14:07:45Z
• Authors: Jun Shen; Runsheng Yin; Shuang Zhang; Thomas J. Algeo; David J. Bottjer; Jianxin Yu; Guozhen Xu; Donald Penman; Yongdong Wang; Liqin Li; Xiao Shi; Noah J. Planavsky; Qinglai Feng; Shucheng Xie
• Keywords: Continental Margin

Abstract Direct evidence of intense chemical weathering induced by volcanism is rare in sedimentary successions. Here, we undertake a multiproxy analysis (including organic carbon isotopes, mercury (Hg) concentrations and index alteration (CIA), clay minerals) two well-dated Triassic–Jurassic (T–J) boundary sections representing high- low/middle-paleolatitude sites. Both show increasing CIA association with Hg peaks near the T–J boundary. We interpret these results as reflecting volcanism-induced intensification continental weathering, which also supported negative mass-independent fractionation (MIF) odd isotopes. The interval enhanced persisted for ~2 million years, consistent carbon-cycle model time needed to drawdown excess atmospheric CO 2 following release event. Lastly, data demonstrate that high-latitude settings are more sensitive than low/middle-latitude sites shifts intensity during climatic warming events.