Late Middle Ordovician environmental change and extinction: Harbinger of the Late Ordovician or continuation of Cambrian patterns?

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Research Article| October 01, 1997 Late Middle Ordovician environmental change and extinction: Harbinger of the Late Ordovician or continuation of Cambrian patterns? Mark E. Patzkowsky; Mark E. Patzkowsky 1Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802-2714 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Leta M. Slupik; Leta M. Slupik 1Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802-2714 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Michael A. Arthur; Michael A. Arthur 1Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802-2714 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Richard D. Pancost; Richard D. Pancost 1Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802-2714 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Katherine H. Freeman Katherine H. Freeman 1Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802-2714 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1997) 25 (10): 911–914. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1997)025<0911:LMOECA>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Mark E. Patzkowsky, Leta M. Slupik, Michael A. Arthur, Richard D. Pancost, Katherine H. Freeman; Late Middle Ordovician environmental change and extinction: Harbinger of the Late Ordovician or continuation of Cambrian patterns?. Geology 1997;; 25 (10): 911–914. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1997)025<0911:LMOECA>2.3.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Positive excursions in carbon isotope compositions of carbonate (∼ 3‰) and organic carbon (∼ 4‰–6‰) from the late Middle Ordovician (middle Caradocian) of the midcontinent and the eastern United States indicate widespread increases in productivity and rates of organic carbon burial that may have drawn down atmospheric pCO2, precipitating global cooling, although not necessarily ice-sheet formation. These climatic changes were associated with regional orogenic uplift, a relative rise in sea level, changes in epeiric sea circulation patterns, and carbonate platform destruction that led to regional extinction of marine benthos. The combination of sea-level rise, changing ocean circulation, and extinction in the middle Caradocian is similar to the suite of environmental changes described for Cambrian biomere boundaries, suggesting shared causes for these events. In contrast, middle Caradocian environmental changes are markedly different from the environmental patterns associated with the Late Ordovician mass extinction, despite the evidence for long-term cooling from the Middle to the Late Ordovician. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.