An International Geoscience Journal of the Geological Society of Australia
Guest edited by Z.Q. Chen, R.J. Twitchett & J. Tong
As the greatest biotic crisis of life on Earth, the Permian/Triassic (P/Tr) mass extinction not only resulted in the greatest crash in biodiversity since the Early Cambrian, but also changed fundamentally Earth's ecosystems. After that time, the modern-type biota and ecosystems occurred in the Triassic oceans. However, the mechanisms and causes of this catastrophe have long been a subject of conjecture despite the intense study of this event. To enhance our understanding of the P/Tr event and its aftermath, IGCP 572 'Restoration of marine ecosystems following the P/Tr mass extinction: Lesson for the present' project was undertaken. This thematic issue reports several new studies undertaken by project members to address the P/Tr mass extinction and subsequent recovery with an emphasis on the updated information about this crisis and its aftermath.
