Proposed Mechanism for the Frasnian-Famennian Devonian Mass Extinctions: Global Conflagration

A forest fire and soil erosion event during the Late Devonian mass extinction

Authors:

1. Kunio Kaiho (a)
2. Susumu Yatsu (a)
3. Masahiro Oba (a)
4. Paul Gorjan (b)
5. Jean-Georges Casier (c)
6. Masayuki Ikeda (d)

Affiliations:

a. Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan

b. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Washington University, St. Louis MO 63130, USA

c. Department of Paleontology, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, rue Vautier, 29, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium

d. Faculty of Science, Ehime University, Matsuyama 790-8577, Japan

Abstract:

The Late Devonian mass extinction occurred in a stepwise manner and culminated close to the Frasnian-Famennian (F-F) boundary (372 million years ago). Organic-molecular indices from marine sedimentary rocks at the Sinsin section, Belgium, indicate that the sequence of combustion of land vegetation, soil erosion, and anoxia-euxinia occurred close to this boundary. The increased concentrations of biomarkers indicating forest fire and soil erosion measured in the Sinsin section suggest that fire became widespread at this time, leading to various damaging consequences (increased runoff and oceanic anoxia) that caused marine extinctions. Magnetic susceptibility data in the Sinsin section indicate a relatively dry climate spanning the F-F boundary, which would have encouraged forest fires. The study of organic biomarkers presents several lines of evidence to link forest fire and soil erosion to the Late Devonian mass extinction.

Comments:

 More samples from other sites.  Make sure this is not local.  Too many cases of projecting a globally what may have been a local event for paleontology.

Check for platinum group metals, please.  You know this is coming anways, get ahead of the curve.

Do some experimental tests with similar plants in the same oxygen levels.  See if you get a conflagration.  Larger size, better.  Build a big terrarium, grow some devonian analog plants (not many around, but...)  Attempt to match the paleoatmospheric content.  Pull the trigger.  Wet, dry and otherwise.  If you built this right, you can do multiple studies of multiple eras.  Past and future.