During the expedition to Kemerovo region the paleontologists of the Faculty of Geology and Geography of Tomsk State University found the remains of animals and plants that “lived” on the planet about 200 million years ago near Novokuznetsk. Many of them disappeared as a result of one of the extinctions on the boundary of the early and middle eras of the Jurassic period. The open field is the first in this area. The study of fossils will give more information about the time of a major environmental disaster.
The subject of the study is the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event, which happened in the early and middle Jurassic. About 183 million years ago, a large eruptive province was formed on the border between Africa and Antarctica, which was then a single continent. Volcanic eruptions released many greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The average annual temperature has increased, the amount of precipitation and minerals washed into the world ocean has increased significantly.
– The consequences of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event – warming and increase in the acidity of the world ocean – led to the death of some species of flora and fauna, – explains Stepan Ivantsov, leader of the expedition, associate professor of the Department of Paleontology and Historical Geology. – If we have data on what happened to marine life, then there is almost no information on the consequences for continental flora and fauna. The purpose of our expeditions is to fill this gap.
The study began in Irkutsk basin, where TSU paleontologists managed to detect deposits of the early Jurassic age. The researchers decided to study the consequences of the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event in other basins of Western Siberia – Kansko-Achinsky and Kuznetsk basins.
Using the analysis of space images, paleontologists have established a hard-to-reach, but promising site for excavation. In the Novokuznetsk region, where deposits of the Tarbagai series come to the surface, scientists found the remains of animals and plants dating back to the early Jurassic (about 187 mln years ago). Among them are the remote ancestors of modern inhabitants and representatives of species that disappeared from the Earth forever.
– For example, we found an imprint of the Czekanowski plant. This is a remote “relative” of our spruces and pines, it refers to gymnosperms. They had long thin leaves, similar to needles, but much longer – about 30 cm. If the modern cedar has five needles in a bunch, then the Czekanowski plant could have 16. Unlike modern spruces and pines, they had several trunks, like modern willow, – says Stepan Ivantsov.
In total, the scientists collected more than 40 kilograms of samples – ancient rocks with inclusions of Jurassic animals and plants. According to paleontologists, the expedition was very difficult, but successful. Now scientists will scrupulously analyze the finds.
The findings will expand the understanding of the evolution of Siberia’s Jurassic biota. The analysis of the remains will make it possible to assess the distribution of individual groups in the south of Siberia, their relationship with the sedimentary basins of Europe and China. The assessment of changes in ecosystems of the past that existed under conditions of global climatic changes will make it possible to model the consequences of modern climatic changes with certain assumptions.
More about the expeditions of TSU paleontologists and photos on the Telegram channel of Stepan Ivantsov he is a digger.