218 PALAEOZOIC/Permian Figure Slab of rock from the Permian of Antarctica, showing abundant fronds of the tree fern Glossopteris at this time, possibly to one of the lowest levels of the past 600 Ma The result was that shallow-marine habitats became very limited, with drastic consequences for the inhabitants of such environments Climate change triggered by volcanic activity is also a possible factor in this extinction event (and in many other extinction events) The Emeishan volcanic traps of southern China are roughly contemporaneous with the extinction event, raising the possibility that the emissions of volcanic gas associated with the lava eruptions may have changed the climate However, precise synchronicity of the eruptions and the extinction has yet to be demonstrated Recently, a Middle Permian–Late Permian succession was discovered in a limestone succession that formed on a small island that was formerly within the Panthalassa Ocean (the rocks have now been accreted to Japan) Remarkably, an acidic volcanic ash is developed at the boundary This is a product of the kind of explosive volcanism normally characteristic of continental rather than oceanic locations A huge volcanic eruption in a continental location (perhaps Emeishan) may have blown ash out into the far reaches of the Panthalassa Ocean If ash could reach this distant location, then it is possible that it could also have triggered drastic climate change Only further study will demonstrate the veracity of the currently proposed mechanisms of the end-Guadalupian extinction See Also Fossil Invertebrates: Porifera Fossil Vertebrates: Palaeozoic Non-Amniote Tetrapods Mesozoic: Triassic Microfossils: Conodonts Palaeoclimates Palaeozoic: Carboniferous; End Permian Extinctions Pangaea Sedimentary Environments: Reefs (‘Build-Ups’) Sedimentary Rocks: Evaporites Further Reading Benton MJ (1997) Vertebrate Palaeontology, 2nd edn London: Chapman & Hall Hallam A and Wignall PB (1997) Mass Extinctions and Their Aftermath Oxford: Oxford University Press Parrish JT (1993) Climate of the supercontinent Pangaea Journal of Geology 101: 215 233 Willis KJ and McElwain JC (2002) The Evolution of Plants Oxford: Oxford University Press