Ward PD, Montgomery DR, Smith R
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. South African Museum, Cape Town, South Africa.
Science. 2000 Sep 8;289(5485):1740-3. doi: 10.1126/science.289.5485.1740.
The Permian-Triassic transition in the Karoo Basin of South Africa was characterized by a rapid and apparently basin-wide change from meandering to braided river systems, as evidenced by preserved sedimentary facies. This radical changeover in river morphology is consistent with geomorphic consequences stemming from a rapid and major die-off of rooted plant life in the basin. Evidence from correlative nonmarine strata elsewhere in the world containing fluvial Permian-Triassic boundary sections suggests that a catastrophic terrestrial die-off of vegetation was a global event, producing a marked increase in sediment yield as well as contributing to the global delta(13)C excursion across the Permian-Triassic boundary.
南非卡鲁盆地的二叠纪-三叠纪过渡时期的特征是，从曲流河系统迅速且明显在全盆地范围内转变为辫状河系统，这一点由保存下来的沉积相得以证明。河流形态的这种剧烈转变与盆地中扎根植物生命迅速大量灭绝所产生的地貌后果相符。来自世界其他地区含有二叠纪-三叠纪陆相边界层的相关非海相地层的证据表明，植被的灾难性陆地灭绝是一个全球性事件，导致沉积物产量显著增加，并促使全球范围内二叠纪-三叠纪边界的碳同位素偏移。
