Mercury anomalies within the lower Cambrian (stage 2–3) in South China: Links between volcanic events and paleoecology

• Published in: Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology Vol. 558; p. 109956
• Main Authors: Wang, Zhanghu, Tan, Jingqiang, Boyle, Richard, Wang, Wenhui, Kang, Xun, Dick, Jeffrey, Lyu, Qiao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.11.2020
• Subjects: Animalia; basins; biosphere; Cambrian period; Cambrian radiation; carbon; carbon dioxide; China; euphotic zone; Extinction; fauna; fossils; isotopes; mercury; Mercury enrichment; Niutitang shale; organic matter; palaeogeography; paleoclimatology; paleoecology; Photic zone euxinia; shale; Small shelly fossils; temperature; volcanic activity; China; Mercury enrichment; Niutitang shale; Small shelly fossils; Extinction; Cambrian radiation; Photic zone euxinia

The early Cambrian period is characterized by not only the explosive radiation of metazoans, but also several mass extinction events. Mercury (Hg) enrichment is now widely used as a proxy for volcanic input, with implications for the CO2 and temperature to which the biosphere was subject during thes...