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Copyright Nature Publishing Group Sep 2014

Abstract

The end-Ordovician was an enigmatic interval in the Phanerozoic, known for massive glaciation potentially at elevated CO2 levels, biogeochemical cycle disruptions recorded as large isotope anomalies and a devastating extinction event. Ice-sheet volumes claimed to be twice those of the Last Glacial Maximum paradoxically coincided with oceans as warm as today. Here we argue that some of these remarkable claims arise from undersampling of incomplete geological sections that led to apparent temporal correlations within the relatively coarse resolution capability of Palaeozoic biochronostratigraphy. We examine exceptionally complete sedimentary records from two, low and high, palaeolatitude settings. Their correlation framework reveals a Cenozoic-style scenario including three main glacial cycles and higher-order phenomena. This necessitates revision of mechanisms for the end-Ordovician events, as the first extinction is tied to an early phase of melting, not to initial cooling, and the largest δ13 C excursion occurs during final deglaciation, not at the glacial apex.

Details

Title
A Cenozoic-style scenario for the end-Ordovician glaciation
Author
Ghienne, Jean-françois; Desrochers, André; Vandenbroucke, Thijs Ra; Achab, Aicha; Asselin, Esther; Dabard, Marie-pierre; Farley, Claude; Loi, Alfredo; Paris, Florentin; Wickson, Steven; Veizer, Jan
Pages
4485
Publication year
2014
Publication date
Sep 2014
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1558516444
Copyright
Copyright Nature Publishing Group Sep 2014