Deccan Traps Volcanism Implicated in the Extinction of Non‐Avian Dinosaurs in Southeastern China

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 49; no. 24
• Main Authors: Ma, Mingming, Zhang, Wenfang, Zhao, Mengting, Qiu, Yudan, Cai, Hongming, Chen, Jiubin, Liu, Xiuming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington John Wiley & Sons, Inc 28.12.2022
• Subjects: Anomalies; Bolides; Cretaceous; Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary; Deccan Traps; Dinosaurs; Eruptions; Extinction; extinction of non‐avian dinosaurs; Fossils; Geology; Heavy metals; hyperthermals; Isotope composition; Isotopes; Lava; Magma; Magnetic properties; Mass extinctions; Mercury; Metals; Palaeoclimate; Paleoclimate; Paleontology; Records; Systematics; Volcanic activity; Volcanic eruptions; Volcanism; China

The extinction of non‐avian dinosaurs and its cause(s) have been a matter of debate for several decades. Here we measured Hg and its isotopic composition, heavy metals, and magnetic parameter in a terrestrial basin in southeastern China. Hg exhibited anomalies from 66.4 to 65.6 Ma, with near‐zero to...