12:30 PM - 12:45 PM
[BPT27-03] Impact event and radiolarian faunal turnover across the middle-upper Norian transition at Sakahogi section in Japan
Keywords:Triassic, Meteorite Impact, Radiolaria
Anomalously high platinum group element (PGE) concentrations have been reported for Upper Triassic (middle Norian) deep-sea claystone layer in the Sakahogi section, central Japan, which have been interpreted to be derived from an extraterrestrial impact event that formed the 90 km Manicouagan crater in Canada. Here we report middle to upper Norian radilarian biostratigraphy from the Sakahogi section across the impact ejecta layer. Based on the radiolarian biostratigraphy from the Sakahogi section, three radiolarian zones are recognized in ascending order as follows: Capnodoce?Trialatus zone, Trialatus robustus?Lysemelas olbia zone, and Lysemelas olbia zone. Detailed high-resolution sampling and biostratigraphical data allowed us to data precisely the ejecta layer, which occur in the base of the radiolarian Trialatus robustus?Lysemelas olbia zone. Our biostratigraphc analysis suggests that there was no mass extinction of radiolarians across the impact event horizon. Only one species became extinct at the ejecta horizon and the extinction rate of radiolarians (extinct species divided by total species at the same level) is estimated to be about 5% at the horizon. Major turnovers of radiolarians occur above the ejecta horizon within the Trialatus robustus?Lysemelas olbia zone. Biostratigraphic analysis shows that 20 radiolarian species became extinct in this zone and the extinction rate is estimated to be 83%. This turnover is associated with a deposition of spicular chert, suggesting temporal changes in marine ecosystems after the impact event. Given that the average sedimentation rate of the middle to upper Norian chert succession is 2.7 mm per thousand years, this turnover occurred 400 kyr after the impact event. Thus the meteorite impact did not direct cause of radiolarian extinction event.