Global warming and mass extinctions associated with large igneous province volcanism

Bond, David P.G.; Sun, Yadong

Abstract

The coincidence of large igneous province (LIP) eruptions with at least three, if not all, of the Big Five biotic crises of the Phanerozoic implies that volcanism is a key driver of mass extinctions. Many LIP-induced extinction scenarios invoke global warming, caused primarily (but not exclusively) by greenhouse gases emitted at the site of LIP emplacement and by contact metamorphism of carbon-rich host rocks. Here we explore (1) the climate- changing products of volcanism including sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) from eruptions, contact metamorphism, and melting (dissociation) of gas hydrates; (2) their deadly effects, including marine anoxia and thermal stress; (3) increasingly sophisticated paleotemperature proxies (e.g., δ18O of shell material) through case studies of the best-known LIP-warming-extinction nexi; and (4) global warming through the lens of the putative Anthropocene extinction.

Citation

Bond, D. P., & Sun, Y. (2021). Global warming and mass extinctions associated with large igneous province volcanism. In R. E. Ernst, A. J. Dickson, & A. Bekker (Eds.), Large Igneous Provinces: A Driver of Global Environmental and Biotic Changes (83-102). American Geophysical Union. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119507444.ch3

• Acceptance Date: Sep 6, 2019
• Publication Date: Jan 8, 2021
• Deposit Date: Sep 6, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 27, 2022
• Publisher: American Geophysical Union
• Pages: 83-102
• Book Title: Large Igneous Provinces: A Driver of Global Environmental and Biotic Changes
• ISBN: 9781119507444; 9781119507451
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119507444.ch3
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/2618384