Global Events and Event Stratigraphy in the Phanerozoic: Results of the International Interdisciplinary Cooperation in the IGCP-Project 216 “Global Biological Events in Earth History”

337 Pages·1996·11.407 MB·English

by  Otto H. Walliser (auth.), Prof. Dr. Otto H. Walliser (eds.)

Global Events and Event Stratigraphy in the Phanerozoic
Results of the
International Interdisciplinary
Cooperation in the IGCP-Project 216
"Global Biological Events
in Earth History"
Springer
Berlin
Heidelberg
New York
Barcelona
Budapest
Hong Kong
London
Milan
Paris
Santa Clara
Singapore
Tokyo
Otto H. Walliser (Ed.)
Global Events
and Event Stratigraphy
in the Phanerozoic
With 86 Figures
Springer
Prof. Dr. Otto H. Walliser
Institut und Museum fiir Geologie und PaHiontologie
Goldschmidtstrasse 3
D-37077 Gottingen
Germany
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Global events and event stratigraphy in the Phanerozoic results of
international interdisciplinary cooperation in the IGCP Project 216
"Global Biological Events in Earth History" I edited by Otto H.
Wall iser.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Extinction (Biology)--Congresses. 2. Paleontology.
Stratigraphic--Congresses. 3. Evolution--Congresses. I. Walliser,
Otto H. II. IGCP Project 216--"Global Biological Events in Earth
History"
QE721.2.E97G57 1995
560' . 172--dc20
ISBN-I3: 978-3-642-79636-4 e-ISBN-13: 978-3-642-79634-0
DOl: 10.1007/978-3-642-79634-0
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is con
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prosecution under the German Copyright Law.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1996
Softcover reprint of the hardcover I st edition 1996
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Typesetting: Camera ready by editor
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Contents
Introduction
The Idea of Global Events: A Prologue
Otto H. Walliser 1
Part I General Themes
Patterns and Causes of Global Events
Otto H. Walliser 7
Evaluating Paleontologic Data Relating to Bio-Events
J. John Sepkoski, Jr. and Carl F. Koch 21
Patterns of Phanerozoic Extinction: A Perspective from Global Data
Bases
J. John Sepkoski, Jr. 35
Phanerozoic Development of Selected Global Environmental Features
Jared R. Morrow, Eberhard Schindler and Otto H. Walliser 53
Global Isotopic Events
William T. Holser, Mordeckai Magaritz t and Robert L. Ripperdan 63
Part II Phanerozoic Global Bio-Events
Geobiological Trends and Events in the Precambrian Biosphere
Mikhail A. Fedonkin 89
The Basal Cambrian Transition and Cambrian Bio-Events (From
Terminal Proterozoic Extinctions to Cambrian Biomeres)
Martin D. Brasier 113
The Pattern of Global Bio-Events during the Ordovician Period
Christopher R. Barnes, Richard A. Fortey and S. Henry Williams 139
Silurian Bio-Events
Dimitri Kaljo, Arthur J. Boucot, Richard M. Corfield, Alain Le
Herisse, Tatyana N. Koren, Jiri Kriz, Peep Mannik, Tiiu Miirss,
Viiu Nestor, Robert H., Shaver, Derek J. Siveter and Viive Viira 173
Global Events in the Devonian and Carboniferous
Otto H. Walliser 225
Permian Global Bio-Events
Douglas H. Erwin 251
VI
Major Bio-Events in the Triassic and Jurassic
Anthony Hallam 265
Cretaceous Bio-Events
Erle G. Kauffman and Malcolm B. Hart 285
The Man-Made Global Disaster: An Epilogue to the Subject of Global
Bio-Events
Otto H. Walliser 313
Part ill Phanerozoic Global Event-Stratigraphy
Christopher R. Barnes et a1. (compiled by all authors of this volume) 319
List of Contributors
Barnes, Christopher R.: Centre for Earth and Ocean Research, University
of Victoria, P.O. Box 1700,Victoria, B.C. V8W 2Y2, Canada
Boucot, Arthur J.: Department of Zoology, Oregon State University,
Corvallis, OR 97331-2914, U.S.A
Brasier, Martin D.: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford,
Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PR, U.K.
Corfield, Richard M.: Department of Earth Sciences, University of
Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PR, U.K.
Erwin, Douglas H.: Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of
Natural History, NHB-121, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
20560, U.S.A.
Fedonkin, Mikhail A: Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of
Sciences, Profsoyuznaya ul., 123, Moscow 117647, Russia
Fortey, Richard A: Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History
Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, U.K.
Hallam, Anthony: School of Earth Sciences, University of Birmingham,
Edgbaston, Birmingham B 15 2TT, U.K.
Hart, Malcolm B.: Department of Geological Sciences, University of
Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PLA 8AA, U.K.
Holser, William T.: Departments of Geological Sciences, Cornell Uni
versity, Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A., and University of Oregon,
Eugene, OR 97403, U.S.A
Kaljo, Dmitri: Institute of Geology, Estonian Academy of Sciences,
7 Estonia Ave., EE 200 105 Tallinn, Estonia
Kauffman, Erle G.: Department of Geological Sciences, University of
Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, U.S.A
Koch, Carl F.: Department of Geological Sciences, Old Dominion
University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529, U.S.A
Koren, Tatyana N.: Geological Institute, Sredni prosp. 74, St. Peters
burg, 199026, Russia
VIII
Kriz, Jiri: Czech Geological Survey, P.O. Box 85, Praha 011, 11821
Czech Republic
Le Herisse, Alain: Laboratoire de PaIeontologie et de Stratigraphie du
Paleozoique, Universite de Bretagne Occidentale, 6 avenue Le Gorgeu,
29287 Brest, France
Mannik, Peep: Institute of Geology, Estonian Academy of Sciences,
7 Estonia Ave., EE 200 105 Tallinn, Estonia
Marss, Tiiu: Institute of Geology, Estonian Academy of Sciences,
7 Estonia Ave., EE 200105 Tallinn, Estonia
tMagaritz, Mordeckai: formerly Department of Environmental Sciences
and Energy Research, The Weizmann Institute, 76100 Rehovot, Israel
Morrow, Jared R.: Department of Geological Sciences, University of
Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, U.S.A.
Nestor, Viiu: Institute of Geology, Estonian Academy of Sciences,
7 Estonia Ave., EEOOOI Tallinn, Estonia
Ripperdan, Robert L.: Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy
Research, The Weizmann Institute, 76100 Rehovot, Israel. Present
address: Department of Geological Sciences, University of California,
Santa Barbara, CA 93106, U.S.A.
Schindler, Eberhard: Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage
25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Sepkoski, J. John, Jr.: Department of the Geophysical Sciences, Univer
sity of Chicago, 5734 South Ellis Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60637,
U.S.A.
Shaver, Robert H.: Indiana Geological Survey, 611 North Walnut Grove,
Bloomington, Indiana 47405, U.S.A., and Indiana University Depart
ment of Geological Sciences, 1005 East Tenth Street, Bloomington,
Indiana 47405, U.S.A.
Siveter, Derek J.: Geological Collections, University Museum, University
of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW, u.K.
Viira, Viive: Institute of Geology, Estonian Academy of Sciences,
7 Estonia Ave., EEOOOI Tallinn, Estonia
Walliser, Otto H.: Institut und Museum fUr Geologie und Palaontologie,
Goldschmidt-Strasse 3, 37077 Gottingen, Germany
Williams, S. Henry: Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University
of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, AlB 3X5, Canada
The Idea of Global Events
A Prologue
Otto H. W ALLISER
Abstract. A few spotlights are directed to the development of knowledge on global
events. In addition, the activity and results of the IGCP Project 216, Global Biological
Events in Earth History, are summarized.
Introduction bio-events was vehemently disputed; but even if these
have now been accepted, the global synchroneity of
The idea of global biological events has been under the events has often been doubted, and the question as
discussion since the very beginning of the science of to causation has been discussed very controversially.
cr
Earth History, that is far about 180 years. Georges Cuvier was biased and influenced by the doctrine of
Cuvier (1769-1832) already recognized that short the Christian Church at that time, i.e. by the book of
intervals occurred in Earth history from time to time, Genesis, and therefore explained the faunal overturns
each of them with a strong faunal overturn, later called as catastrophes, each of them caused by some kind of
catastrophe, extinction event, Faunen-Schnitt (faunal Deluge. He thought that the organisms thereby extinct
cut), faunal change, bio-event, etc. became replaced by a new Creation, which resulted in
Bio-events, often in connection with a significant more "modem" types.
change in lithology, were used by Cuvier and by most Under the directorship of Cuvier at the Jardin des
of the scientists concerned in the first three quarters of Plantes in Paris, Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck (1744-
the 19th century in order to subdivide the Phanerozoic. 1829) developed the first scientific evolutionary the
According to the significance of the overturn, they ory. Obviously, the conflict of personality of these
distinguished between larger or smaller units, nowa two great scientists forced Cuvier to hold fast
days called Systems, Series, and Stages. It must be stubbornly to his archaic interpretation. If we never
emphasized that most of these still valid units were theless still - or again - use the term catastrophism
originally defined by such "natural" boundaries or cataclysm, we are not agreeing with Cuvier's wrong
(Walliser, 1985), i.e. more or less sharp changes hypothesis, but accepting his valid observation of the
which separate an "older" fossil community from a existence of bio-events.
subsequent and more "modem" one. Alcide d'Orbigny (1802-1857) recognized a total of
With respect to bio-events as well as to the larger 27 revolutions, each of them separating two different
stratigraphic units, the principle recognitions were worlds of organisms. In his opinion, only in a few
made in those early days of the science. Thus it is cases did one or the other species survive the
legitimate to ask why it was necessary to enforce an revolution.
international research programme on global biological The time of Cuvier and d'Orbigny was the period
events. The answer to this question is evident if we in which numerous of the first monographs on fossil
recall that only two decades before, even the fact of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants were published.
2
Some of these works were restricted to the description overturns. The required new research strategy had to be
of taxa, without comments in respect to major based on three essentials: (1) international cooperation
changes or the idea of evolution, but often demon to investigate the critical time intervals all over the
strating sequences of species which are related and world; (2) interdisciplinary investigations, i.e. the
following in time one after the other. Certainly, some close cooperation of palaeontology, sedimentology,
of the authors already recognized the variability of geochemistry, oceanography, structural geology, etc.;
species as well as the fact of evolution, thus acting as (3) a holistic approach to data collecting, analysis and
forerunners and pioneers for the evolutionary theory. interpretation.
This theory finally became generally accepted after Being Secretary-General of the International
Charles Darwin's (1809-1882) On the Origin of Palaeontological Association (IPA) in the late 1970s,
Species, published in 1859. I therefore proposed a research programme on G 1 0 -
Darwin's theory comprises gradual steps in the bal Biological Events in Earth
evolution of organisms. Although he already recog His tor y. This proposal was strongly supported
nized that the speed of evolution can change within by the then President of IP A, Kurt Teichert, and
one group of organisms, not only the existence of new actively accepted by many colleagues.
creations was rejected but also the occurrence of major This idea and the research programme received a
changes and catastrophes. The observation of the latter strong impetus through Alvarez et aI.' s 1980 proposal
was explained by subsequent authors either by gaps in of a giant bolide impact at the K-T 'boundary as the
the fossil record or by local or regional facies changes. cause of catastrophic mass extinctions. In combination
Based on the pioneer works of the 19th and early with Raup and Sepkoski's (1984) proposal of a 26-Ma
20th century, a period of biostratigraphic refining cyclicity of mass extinction events, the Nemesis
started, thereby the existence of major changes in the hypothesis was created (Davis et aI., 1984). This
biota became even more evident. Thus the discussion spectacular and fascinating hypothesis triggered in the
started again, but now from a modern viewpoint, following few years - and partially even to the
including the increased knowledge of evolutionary present - a huge number of publications on bolide
mechanisms and geological processes. caused catastrophic bio-events throughout the Pha
The controversial discussion included the old nerozoic.
question, whether the major faunal changes could be Many of these papers overshot their target, so that
pretended by gaps. Also the old struggle for global it was even more necessary to continue and even to
synchroneity of events was revived. With regard to improve the current investigations of our project. The
causation, a great variety of explanations was offered, popularity which the event idea received in the
including a combination of "normal" geological pro meantime enabled the IP A to apply for a project
cesses, or simply regressions or transgressions, in within the International Geological Correlation Pro
addition extratelluric influences, such as the impact of gramme (IGCP). The then President of the IPA, Boris
meteorites, comets or planetoids, as well as an extra S. Sokolov, successfully promoted the project and
ordinary increase in hard cosmic radiation. In addition, effected its wide acceptance during the XXVII. Inter
reasons which are inherent in the evolution itself have national Geological Congress in Moscow in 1984.
been claimed. The basis for the latter was the
recognition of a general pattern of evolution, of which
Objectives
the main elements are radiation and stasis. Although
this pattern has long been recognized, the discussion The objectives of the former IP A Research
culminated with Otto H. Schindewolfs (1896-1971) Programme have been maintained in the new Project
typostrophism and the gradualistic interpretation of his 216. These objectives are:
contrahent George Gaylord Simpson (1902-1984). 1. G e 0 log i cal Asp e ct. Integrated study
of the geological aspects of maj or bio-event intervals -
The IOep Project 216 i.e. the abiotic environments of biological change,
including tectonic/volcanic phenomena, sea level and
In the course of all the above-mentioned disputes it oceanographic history (especially including careful
became quite clear that better research strategies are geochemical analyses), climatic history (e.g. effects of
needed in order to achieve an improvement in basic cooling events, glaciation, greenhouse conditions,
data and thus to reach a better approach to the Milankovitch climate cycles, etc.), and sedimentary
recognition of the real patterns of short-term biotic dynamics.