Publication Date:
2010-06-03
Description:
This paper summarizes 30 years of research on the biostratigraphy of Triassic radiolarians and presents a correlation of currently-used radiolarian zonations established in North America, Europe, Japan and Far East Russia. An up-to-date stratigraphic distribution of all hitherto described and still valid Triassic genera is provided. This new range chart consists of 282 genera and allows an accurate dating to substage level. It also clearly manifests general trends in radiolarian evolution through the Triassic. The end-Permian extinction, the most severe extinction in the history of radiolarians, was followed by a long recovery until the early Anisian. The middle and late Anisian were then characterized by a rapid explosion of new morphologies. Maximum generic diversity was attained during the early Carnian, but the first severe extinctions also occurred in the Carnian. A progressive decline of diversity took place through the Norian and Rhaetian, and ended in a mass extinction around the Triassic-Jurassic boundary.
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