paleonet From Howard Armstrong: Ordovician

From
Date
Reply-To

CL11.23 Environmental and biological impact of the end Ordovician glaciation

Dear All,

We invite you to the take part, with a talk or poster, in our thematic
session at EGS- AGU-EUG Nice in April 2003. The end Ordovician is one of
the best documented of all the major extinnctions is currently the focus
for a large range of multidisciplinary studies.

Event Information
The Ordovician glaciation is considered unique amongst glaciations in
having occurred at high (12-16 times PAL) atmospheric CO2 levels and over a
short timescale 200Kyr to ~1Myr. Positive stable carbon and oxygen isotope
excursions and relative sea level fall data indicate the formation of a
temperate "Laurentide" scale continental ice cap, centred on Gondwana.
Coupled atmosphere-ocean-sea-ice models suggest the Late Ordovician ice
sheet was sensitive to changes in orbital configuration. The associated
mass extinction consisted of two "strikes" correlated with global cooling
and post-glacial global warming. This symposium will be a "state of the
art" review of patterns and processes associated with the glaciation and
the associated mass extinction; aimed at providing a truly global overview
of the interactions and behaviour in the linked cryosphere, biosphere and
geosphere during this major event in Earth history.

Limited financial support is available for travel.

Further details are to be found on the meeting's web pages:

http://www.copernicus.org/egsagueug


-- 
Howard Armstrong
Department of Geological Sciences
University of Durham

http://www.dur.ac.uk/h.a.armstrong
Secretary: Palaeontological Association
http://www.palass.org/