AUTHOR=Zhang Jiawei , Deng Changzhou , Liu Weipeng , Tang Zuoqi , Wang Yue , Ye Taiping , Liang Weian , Liu Lingyun 

TITLE=Mercury Anomalies Link to Extensive Volcanism Across the Late Devonian Frasnian–Famennian Boundary in South China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Earth Science

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.691827

DOI=10.3389/feart.2021.691827

ISSN=2296-6463

ABSTRACT=The Late Devonian Frasnian-Famennian (F-F) mass extinction has been long-time debated by non-volcanic causes, extra-terrestrial impacts, and large igneous provinces (LIPs) eruptions. To better understand the ultimate cause of the F-F mass extinction, here we investigate the chemostratigraphy of mercury (Hg) and total organic carbon (TOC) on two marine F-F strata in the Dushan area, South China. In both sections, high Hg and Hg/TOC anomalies were observed near the F-F boundary. These anomalies are in line with those recently observed in Morocco, Germany, Poland and north Russia, suggesting a global phenomenon. The Late Devonian LIPs eruption, which is believed to have emitted massive amounts of Hg, could be responsible for the global Hg and Hg/TOC anomalies around the F-F boundary. The observed Hg and Hg/TOC anomalies coincide with the extinction of Frasnian fauna in the Dushan area, implying a causal link between the Viluy, Kola and Pripyat-Dnieper-Donets LIPs eruption and the F-F mass extinction.