Deccan volcanic activity and its links to the end-Cretaceous extinction in northern China

Abstract

The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary mass extinction is commonly attributed to the Chicxulub impact and/or the Deccan Traps (DT) volcanism, but the underlying trigger remains uncertain. The lack of detailed identification of the DT eruptive pluses impedes the full assessment of their relationship to the K-Pg boundary mass extinction. Here we present the first mercury (Hg) chemostratigraphy records on the paleo Asian plate, coupled with climatic and biotic data, to constrain the effects of the DT on the Late Cretaceous climate change and mass extinction. In northern China, a total Hg (THg) spike follows warming caused by the DT volcanism and corresponds to the significant species losses. Our study suggests that this most intense pulse of the DT (~50 kyr duration) occurred just before the K-Pg boundary and suggests that it contributed to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction in northern China. • The first mercury (Hg) concentration and isotope record of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary in the paleo Asian plate. • Hg anomaly close to the K-Pg boundary derived from a volcanic source coupling with biotic losses. • Deccan Traps LIP volcanism contributed to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction in northern China.