A method and application for the integration of geology, geochronology, and paleontology: Case studies for important Mesozoic evolutionary events in East Asia

Abstract

<p>The Mesozoic was a critical time in Earth's history that witnessed the breakup of Pangea, the biological recovery from the most severe mass extinction in Earth's history, a warm climate, and the radiation of dinosaurs and flowering plants in terrestrial environments. Establishing geochronologic dates for critical fossils helps to advance new ideas relating to biological evolution and the geologic events that affected their paleoecosystems. This chapter presents three case studies that demonstrate the importance of using U–Pb and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology to constrain key evolutionary events. High precision ages have helped refine the understanding of Mesozoic ecosystems, including the recovery of marine reptiles after the Permo-Triassic mass extinction event, the radiation of archosaurs in the Middle Triassic, and the early emergence of pre-Jurassic angiosperms and their relationship to the concentration of atmospheric CO2. In this work, we establish how interdisciplinary collaborations between geochronologists, geologists, and paleontologists can be integrated into resolving critical questions in the geological and biological record of the Earth.<br></p>