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This research investigates how Pangea's configuration influenced the severity of the Permian-Triassic extinction.

March 18, 2026Open Access

Supercontinent Thermal Traps: How Pangea's Configuration Amplified Permian-Triassic Terrestrial Extinction Through Synergistic Geothermal and Solar Surface Heating

Key Points

This research investigates how Pangea's configuration influenced the severity of the Permian-Triassic extinction.
Analysis of the Crust-Fracturing Antipodal Bullet (CFAB) hypothesis.
Examination of the geothermal heating effects from metallic materials.
Statistical correlation analysis of fossil distribution relative to paleocoastlines.
Created a thermal lockdown that sustained high soil temperatures (>45°C) for millions of years.
Showed strong correlation between fossil occurrence and proximity to coasts.
Explained the coal gap and the dominance of Lystrosaurus in the Early Triassic.

Abstract

The Permian-Triassic extinction's terrestrial severity can be explained by a synergistic thermal trap mechanism. Under the Crust-Fracturing Antipodal Bullet (CFAB) hypothesis, the Wilkes Land impact would have initiated distributed mantle heating, which, amplified by Pangea's unique continental configuration, created a self-reinforcing thermal lockdown lasting 1-5 million years. Geothermal heating from impact-deposited metallic material acted as a thermal floor preventing nocturnal cooling, while vegetation death triggered an albedo-evapotranspiration feedback loop that sustained lethal soil temperatures (>45°C) across Pangea's vast interior (>40% of total land area located >1000 km from coastlines). This mechanism explains five critical observations: comparable terrestrial and marine extinction severity despite different preservation environments; the 3-5 Ma coal gap indicating prolonged ecosystem collapse extreme faunal simplification and Lystrosaurus dominance in Early Triassic; fossil concentration in coastal refugia; and (5) delayed terrestrial recovery relative to marine ecosystems. Analysis of 109 Early Triassic vertebrate localities shows strong statistical correlation between fossil occurrence and proximity to paleocoastlines (mean distance 380 km vs 1850 km for barren interior). Continental configuration emerges as a critical amplification factor in impact-driven extinction events, with the Thermal Severity Index (TSI) quantifying vulnerability across the Phanerozoic. Suplemento to: Deep Impacts of Asteroids or Comets with Metallic Cores that Penetrate the Earth: https: //doi. org/10. 5281/zenodo. 18204600 The Origin of the Universe: https: //doi. org/10. 5281/zenodo. 17948685 https: //orcid. org/0009-0006-1089-9023. Contact: founder@humansp. org Part of the Proyecto A. D. A. (Architecture of Survival) series - Preprint 20. A chapter of: Survival Architecture: https: //play. google. com/store/books/details? id=epWgEQAAQBAJ Arquitectura de la supervivencia: https: //play. google. com/store/books/details/AlejandroD%C3%ADazAldanaArquitecturadeₗaSupervive? id=DpCgEQAAQBAJ

Supercontinent Thermal Traps: How Pangea's Configuration Amplified Permian-Triassic Terrestrial Extinction Through Synergistic Geothermal and Solar Surface Heating

Key Points

Abstract

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