The biotic recovery following the end Permian mass extinction (EPME) was unstable with repeated environmental crises, each of which was followed by a comparably more hospitable interval for life. The early Triassic Smithian-Spathian boundary (SSB) event represents a conspicuous turnover in the environment, climate, and biotic communities. To explore the causes and consequences of this event we measured zinc and carbon isotopes along with elemental paleoenvironment proxies through the West Pingdingshan section, Chaohu, South China. An abrupt decrease of δ⁶⁶Zn values, along with the highly negative δ¹³C values occur in the latest Smithian in Beds 47–50 of the section, are coincident with the bio-crisis, and are ascribed to weak marine productivity and extremely hot climatic conditions. Rapid positive shifts in δ¹³C_org and δ¹³C_carb values and high contents of TOC in Beds 51–52, demonstrate elevated marine productivity associated with a surface seawater cooling event, but also resulted in oxygen-starved conditions lethal to organisms. Marine and terrestrial ecosystems recovered in the early Spathian in Beds 53–57, as evidenced by high values of δ⁶⁶Zn, δ¹³C and the absence of framboid pyrite, and low Al content. These characteristics indicate a return to normal marine productivity and oxygenated seawater, and decreased terrestrial sediment input. Our findings propose that marine productivity played an important role in affecting the marine Zn cycling across the SSB and provide a scenario of environmental perturbations in response to temperature changes during the SSB transition.

二叠纪大灭绝 (EPME) 结束后的生物恢复不稳定，环境危机反复出现，每一次都伴随着相对更宜居的生命间隔。早三叠世史密斯-斯帕特边界 (SSB) 事件代表了环境、气候和生物群落的显着变化。为了探索这一事件的原因和后果，我们通过华南巢湖平顶山西段测量了锌和碳同位素以及元素古环境代理。δ ⁶⁶ Zn 值的突然下降，以及高度负的 δ ¹³C 值出现在该剖面 47-50 床的最新 Smithian 中，与生物危机相吻合，并且归因于海洋生产力薄弱和极端炎热的气候条件。δ ¹³ C _org和 δ ¹³ C _carb值的快速正变化以及床 51-52 中 TOC 的高含量表明与表层海水冷却事件相关的海洋生产力提高，但也导致了对生物体致命的缺氧条件。海洋和陆地生态系统在斯巴达纪早期在 53-57 床中恢复，δ ⁶⁶ Zn、δ ^{13 的}高值证明了这一点C 且不含小叶黄铁矿，且铝含量低。这些特征表明海洋生产力和含氧海水恢复正常，陆地沉积物输入减少。我们的研究结果表明，海洋生产力在影响跨 SSB 的海洋锌循环方面发挥了重要作用，并提供了环境扰动以响应 SSB 过渡期间温度变化的情景。