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Earth history. U-Pb geochronology of the Deccan Traps and relation to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.

Earth history. U-Pb geochronology of the Deccan Traps and relation to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.

Science (New York, N.Y.) (2014-12-17)

Blair Schoene, Kyle M Samperton, Michael P Eddy, Gerta Keller, Thierry Adatte, Samuel A Bowring, Syed F R Khadri, Brian Gertsch

ABSTRACT

The Chicxulub asteroid impact (Mexico) and the eruption of the massive Deccan volcanic province (India) are two proposed causes of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, which includes the demise of nonavian dinosaurs. Despite widespread acceptance of the impact hypothesis, the lack of a high-resolution eruption timeline for the Deccan basalts has prevented full assessment of their relationship to the mass extinction. Here we apply uranium-lead (U-Pb) zircon geochronology to Deccan rocks and show that the main phase of eruptions initiated ~250,000 years before the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary and that >1.1 million cubic kilometers of basalt erupted in ~750,000 years. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that the Deccan Traps contributed to the latest Cretaceous environmental change and biologic turnover that culminated in the marine and terrestrial mass extinctions.

MATERIALS

Product Number

Brand

Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich

Lead, shot, 1-3 mm, 99.995% trace metals basis

Sigma-Aldrich

Lead, shot, <2 mm, 99.9% trace metals basis

Sigma-Aldrich

Zirconium, foil, thickness 0.1 mm, 99.98% trace metals basis

Sigma-Aldrich

Zirconium, sponge, ≥99% trace metals basis

Sigma-Aldrich

Lead, powder, −100 mesh, 99.95% trace metals basis

Sigma-Aldrich

Zirconium, rod, diam. 6.35 mm, ≥99% trace metals basis

Zirconium, foil, not light tested, 25x25mm, thickness 0.003mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, light tested, 50x50mm, thickness 0.015mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, light tested, 25x25mm, thickness 0.006mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, 8mm disks, thickness 0.25mm, annealed, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, 8mm disks, thickness 0.5mm, annealed, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, 6mm disks, thickness 0.075mm, annealed, 99.2%

Lead, foil, 4mm disks, thickness 0.0125mm, 99.99+%

Lead, foil, 25mm disks, thickness 0.55mm, as rolled, 100%

Lead, foil, 4mm disks, thickness 0.01mm, 99.99+%

Zirconium, foil, light tested, 25x25mm, thickness 0.01mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, 4mm disks, thickness 0.01mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, 4mm disks, thickness 0.25mm, annealed, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, light tested, 50x50mm, thickness 0.016mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, 6mm disks, thickness 0.25mm, annealed, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, light tested, 50x50mm, thickness 0.05mm, annealed, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, 50mm disks, thickness 0.25mm, annealed, 99.2%

Lead, foil, 25mm disks, thickness 0.5mm, as rolled, 99.95%

Zirconium, foil, light tested, 25x25mm, thickness 0.01mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, 6mm disks, thickness 0.01mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, 50mm disks, thickness 0.016mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, light tested, 50x50mm, thickness 0.008mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, not light tested, 25x25mm, thickness 0.005mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, light tested, 50x50mm, thickness 0.01mm, 99.2%

Zirconium, foil, light tested, 200x300mm, thickness 0.02mm, 99.2%