Large Igneous Provinces - A Driver of Global Environmental and Biotic Changes

This book is Open Access. A digital copy can be downloaded for free from Wiley Online Library.

Exploring the links between Large Igneous Provinces and dramatic environmental impact

An emerging consensus suggests that Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) and Silicic LIPs (SLIPs) are a significant driver of dramatic global environmental and biological changes, including mass extinctions. Environmental changes caused by LIPs and SLIPs include rapid global warming, global cooling (‘Snowball Earth’), oceanic anoxia events, mercury poisoning, atmospheric and oceanic acidification, and sea level changes.

Continued research to characterize the effects of these extremely large and typically short duration igneous events on atmospheric and oceanic chemistry through Earth history can provide lessons for understanding and mitigating modern climate change.

Large Igneous Provinces: A Driver of Global Environmental and Biotic Changes describes the interactions between the effects of LIPs and other drivers of climatic change, the limits of the LIP effect, and the atmospheric and oceanic consequences of LIPs in significant environmental events.

Volume highlights include:

Temporal record of large igneous provinces (LIPs) Environmental impacts of LIP emplacement Precambrian, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic case histories Links between geochemical proxies and the LIP record Alternative causes for environmental change Key parameters related to LIPs and SLIPs for use in environmental change modelling Role of LIPs in Permo-Triassic, Triassic-Jurassic, and other mass extinction events

The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals.