Radiometric dating at PTB sites in South Africa

The End-Permian Mass Extinction (EPME) is generally regarded as the largest mass extinction in Phanerozoic history. In marine strata the main extinction event is well-constrained, and has been radiometrically-dated to an interval of some 60 000 years, approximately 251.9 million years ago. However, the age and duration of the EPME on land, as well as its possible synchronicity with that of the marine realm, is debated. Here, we aim to further our research on dating the EPME in the South African basin.