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PhD: Fossil floras and climates of the Smithian-Spathian extinction event

Project Title

Fossil floras and climates of the Smithian-Spathian extinction event

Institution

University College Cork

Supervisors and Institutions

Dr Chris Mays (School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Ireland), Prof. Tracy Frank (Department of Earth Sciences, University of Connecticut, USA).

Funding Status

Funding is in competition with other projects and students

Project Description

The Smithian-Spathian event (SSE) is a poorly understood mass extinction during the Early Triassic Epoch (~249 million years ago) driven by acute global cooling. Despite being an extinction event, the SSE was a key step in the evolution of life since it represents the primary ecosystem recovery phase ~3 million years after the worst mass extinction of all: the ‘hyperthermal’ end-Permian event (EPE; 252 million years ago).

This study will reveal the ecologic and climatic signatures during this recovery event. Data collection will focus on a range of geochemical proxies of climate change and plant microfossils. Building upon previously collected fossil and geochemical data sets, this project will form an integral part of a growing research collaboration between Ireland, Australia, Sweden and the USA.

The successful applicant will commence the project on the 30th of September, 2022.

Contact Name

Chris Mays

Contact Email

Link to More Information

Closing Date

Sunday, July 17, 2022

Expiry Date

Sunday, July 31, 2022
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