Recognising the Kacak Event in the Devonian terrestrial environment and its implications for understanding land-sea interactions

Marshall, J.E.A., Astin, T.R., Brown, J.F., Mark-Kurik, E. and Lazauskiene, J. (2007) Recognising the Kacak Event in the Devonian terrestrial environment and its implications for understanding land-sea interactions. In, Becker, R.T. and Kirchgasser, W.T. (eds.) Devonian Events and Correlations. (Geological Society Special Publication, 278) London, UK. The Geological Society of London, pp. 133-155. (doi:10.1144/SP278.6).

Abstract

The Ka?ák Event is a late Eifelian (Mid Devonian) episode of marine dysoxia/anoxia with associated extinctions. It has been widely recognized in the shelf seas that surrounded the Old Red Sandstone continent. It was contemporary with the lacustrine Orcadian Basin in Scotland. This basin contains the distinctive Achanarras lake horizon that contains a rich and diverse fish fauna. The Achanarras lake was wide and deep and would have been filled by rainfall from a monsoon system at an insolation maximum. Faunal elements within the lake are in common with the Kernav? Member in Estonia and this level can be conodont dated as late Eifelian eiflius or ensensis Zone. Therefore the group of lacustrine flooding climatic events that occur at and above the Achanarras level can be correlated with the marine Ka?ák Event (sensu lato) and both can be regarded as having a common climatic cause and driven by an insolation maximum. A reconstruction of the Orcadian Basin drainage system and a water balance model based on the calcium flux within the lake shows that a very significant volume of water would have been seasonally discharged to the Rheic Ocean and would have caused an additional environmental effect.

This record has no associated files available for download.

Contributors

Author: J.E.A. Marshall

Download statistics