These extremely high atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations persisted over a long period. The position and alignment of Pangaea at the time made the inorganic carbon cycle very inefficient at burying carbon. In a 2020 paper, scientists reconstructed the mechanisms that led to the extinction event in a biogeochemical model, showed the consequences of the greenhouse effect on the marine environment, and concluded that the mass extinction can be traced back to volcanic CO emissions. Evidence also points to volcanic combustion of underground fossil fuel deposits, based on paired coronene-mercury spikes 50px Available under CC BY 4.0. coinciding with geographically widespread mercury anomalies and the rise in isotopically light carbon. Te/Th values increase twentyfold over the PTME, further indicating it was concomitant with extreme volcanism. A major volcanogenic influx of isotopically light zinc from the Siberian Traps has also been recorded, further confirming that volcanism was contemporary with the PTME.
These extremely high atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations persisted over a long period. The position and alignment of Pangaea! at the time made the inorganic carbon cycle very inefficient at burying carbon. In a 2020 paper, scie:ntists reconstructed the mechanisms! that led to the extinction event in a biogeochemical model, showed the consequences of the greenhouse effect on the marine environment, and concluded tha:t the mass extinction can be traced back to volcanic CO emissions. Evidence also points to volcanic combustion of underground fossil fuel deposits, based on paired coronene-mercury spikes 50px Available under CC BY 4.0. coinciding with geographically widespread mercury anomalies and the rise in isotopically light carbon. Te/Th values increase twentyfold over the PTME, further indicating it was concomitant with extreme volcanism. A major volcanogenic influx of isotopically light zinc from the Siberian Traps has also been recorded, further confirming that volcanism was contemporary with the PTME.