End-Permian mass extinction explored

摘要

Researchers have long debated the cause of the end-Permian mass extinction, one of Earth's most catastrophic prehistoric extinctions that wiped out 90% of marine species. Gregory Brennecka et al. (pp. 17631-17634) performed a uranium isotope analysis of carbonate rocks deposited in what is now southern China to explore potential links between the end-Permian mass extinction and the timing and extent of changes in the oxygen levels in the ocean; carbonate rocks contain a snapshot of the isotopic signatures of the seawater into which they are deposited.