Abrupt and gradual extinction among late permian land vertebrates in the Karoo basin, South Africa

  • Peter D. Ward
  • , Jennifer Botha
  • , Roger Buick
  • , Michiel O. De Kock
  • , Douglas H. Erwin
  • , Geoffrey H. Garrison
  • , Joseph L. Kirschvink
  • , Roger Smith

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

291 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Karoo basin of South Africa exposes a succession of Upper Permian to Lower Triassic terrestrial strata containing abundant terrestrial vertebrate fossils. Paleomagnetic/magnetostratigraphic and carbon-isotope data allow sections to be correlated across the basin. With this stratigraphy, the vertebrate fossil data show a gradual extinction in the Upper Permian punctuated by an enhanced extinction pulse at the Permian-Triassic boundary interval, particularly among the dicynodont therapsids, coinciding with negative carbon-isotope anomalies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)709-714
Number of pages6
JournalScience
Volume307
Issue number5710
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Feb 2005

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Multidisciplinary

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