The Permian-Triassic boundary in the Baghuk Mountains (Central Iran)

• Antragsteller: Privatdozent Dr. Dieter Korn
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Paläontologie
• Förderung: Förderung von 2013 bis 2018
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 234769358

Permian-Triassic (P-Tr) boundary sections in Central Iran are known from the late 1960s and belong to the most important data sources for the study of the most dramatic biological crisis in Earth history. Sections at Kuh-e Hambast and Shahreza are rather well-known in the literature, but other areas situated between these localities south-east of Esfahan are not yet investigated. The discovery of a new P-Tr boundary section in the Baghuk Mountains offers the opportunity to study a new, complete, and extraordinary fossil-rich rock succession. In contrast to the other P-Tr boundary sections in Central Iran, the sedimentary rocks in the Baghuk Mountain sections are only slightly deformed and the fossils are well-preserved. The rich fossil assemblages allow for a quantitative analysis of the Late Permian decrease of taxonomic diversity and morphological disparity of selected fossil groups, i.e. the ammonoids and fishes. In the proposed project, a detailed study of the time interval (about 10 Ma) before the mass extinction event will be carried out on the base of high-resolution stratigraphic investigation including carbonate microfacies as well as stable isotopes (delta13Ccarb, delta13Corg, delta15N). The abundant microbial limestone of the earliest Triassic will be studied in great detail.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen
• Internationaler Bezug: Iran
• Beteiligte Institution: Museum für Naturkunde; Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung (MfN)
• Beteiligte Person: Dr. Vachik Hairapetian