Review of sea-level changes during the big five mass extinctions and several lesser extinction events reveals that the majority coincide with large eustatic inflexions. The degree of certainty with which these eustatic oscillations are known varies considerably. Thus, the late Ordovician and end Cretaceous extinctions are associated with unequivocal, major regressions demonstrated from numerous...

During the Devonian, Svalbard Archipelago lay at low latitudes, occupying a paleogeographic position intersection of Caledonian and Ellesmerian orogens. Provenance analysis, including detrital zircon U-Pb age studies, Devonian (ca. 420–360 Ma) strata from Andrée Land Basin, Svalbard, help reconstruct sediment sources to understand assembly three basement provinces that make up which are present...

The evolution of land plant root systems occurred stepwise throughout the Devonian, with first evidence complex appearing in mid-Givetian. This biological innovation provided an enhanced pathway for transfer terrestrial phosphorus (P) to marine system via weathering and erosion. enhancement is consistent paleosol records has led hypotheses about causes eutrophication mass extinctions during Dev...

Palynological investigations have been carried out on samples from the Upper Devonian Hongguleleng Formation of Western Junggar, Xinjiang, NW China. In total, 26 miospore species belonging to 19 genera and 28 acritarch assigned recognized lower member Fm. in Bulongguoer section. The palynofloral assemblages, particular taxa, are similar those eastern European early Famennian Corbulispora vimine...

A new Devonian oxygen isotope record based on 180 measurements of conodont apatite is reported from South China. The comparison with published ?18Oapatite data shows a considerable offset between records different paleocontinents. This difference can be interpreted by regional variations in salinity, the epicontinental seas having distinctly lower salinity and ?18Oseawater than open ocean due t...

The Devonian is characterized by major changes in ocean-atmosphere O 2 concentrations, colonialization of continents plants and animals, widespread marine anoxic events associated with rapid δ 13 C excursions biotic crises. However, the long-term upper ocean redox trend for still not well understood. This study presents new I/Ca data from well-dated Lower through Upper limestone sections Great ...