Geomagnetic instability as a potential deep-Earth forcing factor in the Permian environmental and biotic crisis

The Permian witnessed profound geomagnetic, environmental, and biotic upheavals, yet high-resolution paleomagnetic constraints across critical transitions remain sparse. Here, we present a 3.75-million-year magnetostratigraphic record from the Fengshan section (South China) spanning the Guadalupian-Lopingian transition (262.5-258.75 Ma). It yields extreme geomagnetic instability, characterized by 29 magnetozones and an unprecedented reversal frequency of 11 reversals/Myr – one of the highest records in Earth’s history. These features are temporally correlated with the end-Guadalupian extinction (∼261 Ma), suggesting a potential deep-Earth force contributing to surface ecosystem collapse, though the causation remains unproven. This implies that, together with other global forcing factor, geomagnetic instability might have influenced late Permian climatic and biotic upheavals.