Ashley N Prow

and 12 more

The end-Triassic mass extinction was among the most severe biotic crises of the Phanerozoic. It has been linked with the global expansion of marine anoxia, and the prolongation of these conditions within epeiric seas has been proposed as a cause for the suppression of biodiversity during the Hettangian. Testing this interpretation is complicated by spatially heterogenous patterns of local marine redox conditions within the western Tethys European Epicontinental Shelf. In this study we assess the redox state within this region by focusing on two carbonate successions in Italy. Based on I/Ca ratios, these locations record distinct local background redox conditions, with Val Adrara showing notably lower pre-extinction oxygen saturation state compared to Mount Sparagio. To better explain these differences, δ44Ca and trace element analyses were used to identify the roles of mineralogical and diagenetic effects on the preservation of primary redox signals. A framework of multiple elemental (Sr, Mg, Mn, I) and isotopic (δ13C, δ18O, δ44Ca, δ238U and δ34SCAS) ratios was developed to identify factors that could influence carbonate geochemistry. Both sites probably retain some primary variation in δ238U, δ34SCAS and I/Ca, but they are likely also shaped by changing mineralogy and early diagenetic conditions which complicates interpretations of the seawater composition. Where the redox signals are largely preserved, we interpret differences in pre-extinction I/Ca between the two sites to reflect distinct local oxygenation states. Model simulations show that ocean circulation and hydrological regime could have been important drivers of spatial heterogeneity in paleo-redox conditions across the European Epicontinental Shelf.