Anatomy of a mass extinction: Sedimentological and taphonomic evidence for drought-induced die-offs at the Permo-Triassic boundary in the main Karoo Basin, South Africa

The southern part of the Karoo Basin of South Africa contains a near complete stratigraphic record of the Permo-Triassic boundary (PTB). Isotope- and magneto-stratigraphy confirm that these predominantly fluvial strata are approximately the same age as zircon-dated marine PTB sections (252 Mya). By August 2013, our team had found 579 in situ vertebrate fossils, mostly of the clade Therapsida, in PTB exposures at three widely separated locations...