Platinum-group elements of the Meishan Permian–Triassic boundary section: Evidence for flood basaltic volcanism

Abstract

Permian–Triassic boundary sections record the most severe mass extinction event in geological history. However, there is a long-standing controversy of whether bolide impact and/or basaltic flood volcanism triggered the mass extinction. Platinum-group elements (PGEs) are enriched in most extraterrestrial materials, but highly depleted in the terrestrial crust materials. We analyzed Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt and Pd in a set of samples from the global stratotype section and point (GSSP) of the Permian–Triassic boundary at Meishan, China, using isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS) and nickel sulfide fire assay (NiS-FA) combined with Te coprecipitation. The samples have no Ir anomaly (5–53 pg/g), and their PGE patterns normalized to chondrites are highly fractionated with Ir/Pd ratios of 0.02–0.03 × CI, distinct from most extraterrestrial materials. In contrast, these patterns are closely parallel to those of the Siberian and probably Emeishan flood basalts, suggestive of possible sources of PGEs from the basalts. The abundances of PGEs increase in order of the pyrite lamina on the top of bed 24, bed 25 and bed 26, and then decrease to bed 28, probably indicative of a maximum eruption of the flood basalts during deposition of bed 26. The new data favor massive volcanism, rather than extraterrestrial impact, as a major cause of the Permian–Triassic boundary mass extinction.