Igneous Province Volcanism Research Articles

Exploring the role of High Arctic Large Igneous Province volcanism on Early Cretaceous Arctic forests

The Hauterivian–Aptian Isachsen Formation at Glacier Fiord, Axel Heiberg Island, in the Sverdrup Basin of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago was deposited contemporaneous with initiation of the High Arctic Large Igneous Province (HALIP). New palynological biostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental reconstruction, in coordination with the emerging geochronology of HALIP igneous rocks, permits exploration of the effects of volcanism on Arctic vegetation during the Early Cretaceous. Four informal terrestrial palynofloral zones are defined and used to reconstruct vegetation change over the Isachsen Formation's ca. 17 million year history and explore the role of the HALIP in these changes. Climate warming during the Hauterivian promoted expansion of a hinterland community dominated by members of the Pinaceae. By the middle Barremian, this community was replaced by mixed heathland and mire, represented by up to 70% fern spores in the uppermost Paterson Island Member, that may be, in part, in response to environmental disturbance associated with volcanic flows of the HALIP. Above the fern spore spike, dinoflagellate cyst assemblages suggest an early Aptian age and a marine setting for mudstones of the Rondon Member in which Ocean Anoxic Event 1a is recorded. An interval of floral instability is recorded in the overlying Walker Island Member, characterized by fluctuations in Pinaceae and Cupressaceae pollen and fern spores, possibly as a result of post-OAE 1a temperature variabilty and landscape disturbance associated with lava flows of the HALIP that were repeatedly extruded onto the subsiding delta plain during deposition of the member.

Effects of Sulfur Dioxide Exposure on Leaf Mass per Area of Selected Gymnosperms and Implications for Interpreting the Plant Fossil Record

Premise of research. The role of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in plant responses to large igneous province volcanism is difficult to determine but important in relation to understanding ecosystem responses during mass extinction events. Leaf mass per area (LMA) is an important leaf measure for tracking plant responses to environmental pressures in the fossil record, but how it responds to SO2 exposure is unclear, particularly for nonangiosperm taxa.Methodology. Five gymnosperm species were grown in simulated paleoatmospheric conditions that included SO2 to determine how the plants responded.Pivotal results. All plants’ growth in high SO2 showed a significant decrease in LMA compared with the control (with no SO2). When grown in a high CO2, low O2, and high SO2 treatment, most plants continued to show a decrease in LMA compared with the control but an increase compared with the high SO2 treatment with ambient CO2 and O2.Conclusions. These findings suggest that exposure to SO2 significantly decreases LMA, potentially reducing preservation potential in the fossil record. Exposure to combined SO2 and high CO2 reduces this effect, but this may also obscure the effects of SO2, leading to interpretations that ecosystem instability is primarily driven by increasing CO2, which may not be the case.

Determining the style and provenance of magmatic activity during the Early Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE 1a)

Large igneous province (LIP) volcanism has been proposed as a key trigger of several major climate and environmental perturbations during the Phanerozoic Aeon. Large-scale carbon emissions associated with one or both of magmatic degassing from the Greater Ontong-Java Plateau (G-OJP) and intrusion of organic-rich sediments by High Arctic LIP (HALIP) sills have been widely suggested as the trigger of the Early Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE 1a: ~120 Ma). However, the respective roles of the two LIPs and associated carbon sources in causing this crisis remain debated. Here, six records of OAE 1a from the Pacific, Tethyan, Arctic, and South Atlantic realms are investigated, combining mercury (Hg) concentrations and osmium- (Os-) isotope ratios as proxies of LIP activity. Together with previously published datasets, the results indicate globally consistent Os-isotope evidence for LIP activity during OAE 1a, but geographically variable stratigraphic Hg trends. Clear mercury enrichments that match Os-isotope evidence of LIP activity, and suggest a Hg-cycle perturbation during the onset of OAE 1a, are documented at one Pacific site extremely proximal to the G-OJP, but not in Arctic, Tethyan or Atlantic records. This pattern highlights significant G-OJP volcanism during the onset of OAE 1a, and re-emphasises the limited potential for submarine LIP eruptions to cause Hg-cycle perturbations except in areas very proximal to source. The absence of clear Hg peaks in basal OAE 1a strata from the Arctic (or anywhere outside of the Pacific) does not support intense HALIP activity at that time, suggesting that the G-OJP was the more volcanically active LIP when OAE 1a commenced. Thus, G-OJP emissions of mantle carbon were more likely to have played a major role in initiating OAE 1a than thermogenic volatiles associated with the HALIP. A transient pulse of HALIP-related subaerial eruptions and/or thermogenic volatile emissions during the early–middle part of OAE 1a, potentially evidenced by more widespread Hg enrichments in strata from that time (including in the Arctic), might have prolonged the event. However, a non-volcanic cause of these later Hg influxes cannot be excluded. These findings challenge previous suggestions that magmatic CO 2 emissions from LIPs were incapable of causing major carbon-cycle perturbations alone, and highlight the need for further investigations to establish whether the high volume/emplacement rate of the G-OJP (potentially an order of magnitude greater than other LIPs) made it a unique case that stands in contrast to other provinces where the role of thermogenic volatiles was likely more crucial. • Hg/TOC and Os-isotope records of OAE 1a combined to determine style of LIP activity • Hg and Os evidence of volcanism only correlates near to Greater Ontong-Java Plateau • Supports submarine volcanism as the trigger of OAE 1a, rather than HALIP activity

Mercury Evidence of Intense Volcanism Preceded Oceanic Anoxic Event 1d

AbstractGeochemical studies of marine sediments indicate that most Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs) appear coincident with Large Igneous Province (LIP) volcanism. OAE 1d records peculiar paleoceanographic changes and global carbon cycle perturbations, however, its association with volcanism has not yet been supported by robust geochemical evidence. To examine the potential role of volcanism we investigated the mercury (Hg) concentration and isotopic record of OAE 1d interval at the Youxia section, southern Tibet. The interval prior to OAE 1d is marked by a combined positive Δ199Hg and Hg content shift, which suggests a volcanic Hg source. These findings are consistence with a prominent increase in sea surface temperatures and atmospheric CO2 before OAE 1d. We suggest that eruption of the central portion of the Kerguelen LIP may have been the main source of the Hg anomaly and resulted in global environment perturbations that drove the onset of the anoxia event.

Changes in organic matter composition during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) in the Posidonia Shale Formation from Dormettingen (SW-Germany)

During the Early Toarcian, deposition of organic carbon-rich-shales occurred throughout the epicontinental sea across Europe. Climate instability and high extinction rates in the marine realm were associated with profound environmental changes. The Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) has been linked to the injection of greenhouse gases (e.g. oceanic methane) into the atmosphere triggered by the emplacement of the Karoo-Ferrar large igneous province (LIP) volcanism. The data presented are obtained from the Posidonia Shale Formation in Dormettingen (southwestern Germany), ~2 km from the well-known Dotternhausen section. Despite the intense palaeontological and geochemical research, studies on the particulate organic matter (POM) across the T-OAE are scarce. Here, we provide a detailed study of POM of the Dormettingen section as a tool to evaluate changes in the depositional environment. Integrated POM (i.e. amorphous organic matter, marine and terrestrial palynomorphs) and geochemical (i.e. carbon isotope δ13C) analyses reveal different episodes of palaeoecological upheavals during the studied time interval. In this study, we will integrate new palynofacies data and combine it with the existing sedimentological and palaeoecological data of Dotternhausen in order to interpret relative sea-level fluctuations and climatic changes at the local palaeogeographic setting.

Regional chronostratigraphic synthesis of the Cenomanian-Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) interval, Western Interior Basin (USA): New Re-Os chemostratigraphy and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology

AbstractFluctuations in depositional conditions during the onset of severe climate events in Earth history predispose stratigraphic archives to hiatuses, often hindering complete reconstructions of paleoclimate events and their triggers. Several studies have proposed that a hiatus of unknown duration exists at the base of Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2) in the North American Western Interior Basin at the base Turonian global boundary stratotype section and point (GSSP) in Pueblo, Colorado, which potentially influences integrated radioisotopic, biostratigraphic, and astrochronologic age models of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary interval. To quantify the duration of this hiatus, refine the chronology of OAE2, and assess marine geochemical perturbations associated with the onset of the event, we present new 40Ar/39Ar dates from regional bentonites along with a new proximal-distal chemostratigraphic transect of the epeiric Western Interior Basin (WIB), including initial osmium isotope (Osi) and stable carbon isotope (δ13C) data. The new 40Ar/39Ar age determinations confirm and further constrain previous estimates of Cenomanian-Turonian boundary timing. Further, the regional chemostratigraphic synthesis demonstrates the conformity of the OAE2 successions correlated to Pueblo, shows that the duration of the lag between the onset of the Osi and δ13C excursions is ∼60 k.y., and thus constrains the magnitude of the pre-OAE2 hiatus in Pueblo to less than this value. The new astronomically tuned, conformable Osi record across the onset of OAE2 captures a geologically rapid onset of large igneous province volcanism, consistent with other records, such that the addition of CO2 to the ocean-atmosphere system may have driven changes in marine carbonate chemistry. Additionally, the refined chronostratigraphy of OAE2 and the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary in the central WIB improves correlation with other records, such as those in the Eagle Ford Group, Texas. The correlations highlight that discrepancies among OAE2 age models from globally distributed sections commonly stem from differing definitions of the event and uncertainties associated with astronomical tuning, in addition to stratigraphic preservation.

Rapid eruption of silicic magmas from the Paraná magmatic province (Brazil) did not trigger the Valanginian event

Abstract The Valanginian Stage is marked by a period of global positive δ13C carbon cycle perturbation and biotic crises, which are collectively referred to as the Valanginian event (VE). Many attempts have been made to link the Paraná-Etendeka large igneous province volcanism with the VE. However, currently there is no conclusive proof to support this hypothesis, since the timing and duration of the volcanic activity are not known with sufficient precision. In this study, we significantly revise the time scales of magmatism and environmental impact of the Paraná magmatic province (PMP) in Brazil with new high-precision zircon U-Pb ages from the low-Ti Palmas and high-Ti Chapecó sequences. Our data demonstrate that significant volumes of low-Ti silicic rocks from the PMP erupted rapidly at ca. 133.6 Ma within 0.12 ± 0.11 k.y. The age of the high-Ti Chapecó sequence from central PMP is constrained at ca. 132.9 Ma and thus extends the duration of magmatic activity by ∼700 k.y. Our new ages are systematically younger than previous ages and postdate the major positive carbon isotope excursion, indicating that PMP silicic magmatism did not trigger the VE but could have contributed to extending its duration. Within the framework of the stratigraphic column of the PMP, the earliest low-Ti basalts could have been responsible for the VE if they are at least 0.5 m.y. older than the low-Ti silicic rocks dated herein.

Climatic fluctuations modeled for carbon and sulfur emissions from end-Triassic volcanism

Throughout the history of complex life, Earth's climate and biogeochemical cycles have been perturbed by Large Igneous Province (LIP) volcanism, with several LIP episodes correlating with major mass extinction events. Yet many aspects of the interplay between geological, climatic and ecological processes in the Earth System during these times of global upheaval remain poorly understood. This study focuses on the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province and the associated extinction event in the latest Triassic, about 201 million years ago. Although climate and carbon cycle models successfully reproduce aspects of the end-Triassic environmental changes, many questions regarding the causal and temporal relations behind them remain unresolved. Here, we report an effort to model and quantify the dynamic response of the Earth System to short pulses of volcanogenic volatile emissions for an ensemble of emission scenarios. For the first time in the context of the end-Triassic events, this is done with a coupled climate model and under consideration of both carbon and sulfur emissions. Tested are pulses with ∼1−6 kyr duration during which 2500−7500GtC are emitted and 0−500GtS form stratospheric sulfate aerosols. The simultaneous emission of carbon and sulfur during one pulse of volcanic activity causes climatic fluctuations on annual to millennial timescales: A sequence of transient global cooling and subsequent sustained warming, overprinted with high interannual variability. The simulated maximum global warming ranges from +1.8 to +4.4°C, while the amplitude of cooling is considerably higher in the upper range of the tested sulfur emission scenarios. The magnitude of temperature change varies regionally, being lowest in the Tethys realm. Changes in steric sea level (∼1−3 m) and ocean overturning strength, a surface ocean pH decrease (∼0.2−0.4) and a drop of the carbonate saturation especially in the Tethys are also obtained from the simulations during each emission pulse. By evaluating the simulated temperature changes against thermal tolerance limits of stony corals in a simplified manner, we find that these are not clearly transgressed on a global scale in the simulated warming scenarios. However, the climatic variability potentially introduced by the volcanic forcing would have represented significant stress for marine organisms. This study represents a significant step towards integrating multiple volcanic forcing mechanisms and environmental response processes in space and time to yield a more complete picture of impacts of CAMP volcanism and LIPs in general.

The Capitanian (Guadalupian, Middle Permian) mass extinction in NW Pangea (Borup Fiord, Arctic Canada): A global crisis driven by volcanism and anoxia

Abstract Until recently, the biotic crisis that occurred within the Capitanian Stage (Middle Permian, ca. 262 Ma) was known only from equatorial (Tethyan) latitudes, and its global extent was poorly resolved. The discovery of a Boreal Capitanian crisis in Spitsbergen, with losses of similar magnitude to those in low latitudes, indicated that the event was geographically widespread, but further non-Tethyan records are needed to confirm this as a true mass extinction. The cause of this crisis is similarly controversial: While the temporal coincidence of the extinction and the onset of volcanism in the Emeishan large igneous province in China provides a clear link between those phenomena, the proximal kill mechanism is unclear. Here, we present an integrated fossil, pyrite framboid, and geochemical study of the Middle to Late Permian section of the Sverdrup Basin at Borup Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Arctic Canada. As in Spitsbergen, the Capitanian extinction is recorded by brachiopods in a chert/limestone succession 30–40 m below the Permian-Triassic boundary. The extinction level shows elevated concentrations of redox-sensitive trace metals (Mo, V, U, Mn), and contemporary pyrite framboid populations are dominated by small individuals, suggestive of a causal role for anoxia in the wider Boreal crisis. Mercury concentrations—a proxy for volcanism—are generally low throughout the succession but are elevated at the extinction level, and this spike withstands normalization to total organic carbon, total sulfur, and aluminum. We suggest this is the smoking gun of eruptions in the distant Emeishan large igneous province, which drove high-latitude anoxia via global warming. Although the global Capitanian extinction might have had different regional mechanisms, like the more famous extinction at the end of the Permian, each had its roots in large igneous province volcanism.

Cyanobacteria Proliferation in the Cenomanian‐Turonian Boundary Interval of the Apennine Carbonate Platform: Immediate Response to the Environmental Perturbations Associated With OAE‐2?

AbstractOceanic Anoxic Event‐2 (OAE‐2; Cenomanian‐Turonian) is characterized by extensive deposition of organic carbon‐rich deposits (black shales) in ocean basins worldwide as result of a major perturbation of the global carbon cycle. While the sedimentological, geochemical, and paleontological aspects of deep water expressions of OAE‐2 have been intensively studied in the last few decades, much less attention has been given to the coeval shallow water deposits. In this study, we present the results of a detailed facies and petrographic (optical microscope and scanning electron microscopy) and geochemical studies (δ13Ccarb, δ 13C org, δ 15Nbulk, TOC, and Rock‐Eval pyrolysis) on two key shallow marine sections from the Apennine Carbonate Platform (ACP; Italy). Here a continuous record of shallow water carbonates through the OAE‐2 interval is preserved, offering the unique opportunity to document the archive of paleoenvironmental changes in a neritic setting, at a tropical latitude and far from the influence of a large continental block. Two conspicuous intervals are characterized by abundant and closely spaced “dark” microbial laminites found at correlative stratigraphic horizons in the two stratigraphic sections. These laminites contain elevated concentrations of TOC (up to 1%) relative to microbial capping cycles laminites stratigraphically above and below. The organic matter preserved in these fine‐grained laminites is dominated by cyanobacteria remains, which accounted for most of the organic matter produced on the ACP in these intervals. Our study suggests that Tethyan carbonate platforms experienced significant biological changes during OAE‐2, alternating, in few kiloyears, between eutrophic phases dominated by microbial communities and mesotrophic/oligotrophic conditions favoring “normal” carbonate production/sedimentation. The synchronous occurrence of microbialite facies at different locations across the ACP and on other platforms worldwide (e.g., Mexico and Croatia) suggests a causal link between Large Igneous Province volcanism and the environmental conditions necessary to trigger cyanobacterial proliferation on shallow carbonate platforms.

Aptian–early Albian sedimentation in the Essaouira-Agadir basin, Western Morocco

Aptian to early Albian times were marked by various geodynamic and paleoenvironmental events such as large igneous province volcanism, perturbations of climate and the carbon cycle, and sea-level changes. The Essaouira-Agadir basin (EAB), located on the Atlantic passive margin of Morocco, offers good and fossiliferous exposures of the Aptian–Albian sedimentary series. A detailed analysis of this succession made it possible to establish a biostratigraphic framework. The identification of discontinuities allowed to define eight depositional sequences. As most of them are correlatable with depositional sequences of other Tethyan areas, they suggest that eustacy was the main parameter controlling sedimentation. The analysis of sedimentary facies and nannofossil assemblages provides information on paleoenvironmental changes.Sedimentation in the EAB evolved from a very low energy, carbonate ramp in the early Aptian to a low energy, slightly deeper, mixed carbonate-clastic ramp in the early Albian. This change occurred along with an increase of clastic input, a change from oligotrophic to mesotrophic faunal assemblages, and a decrease of sea-surface temperatures. The occurrence of current sedimentary features, sporadic dysaerobic deposits and local phosphatic and glauconitic crusts suggests that upwelling currents were significant during this period.Paleogeographic and isopach maps support a transgressive trend in the late Aptian and early Albian, and unravel subsidence anomalies suggesting mild halokinetic movements during Aptian‒early Albian times.

A High‐Fidelity Benthic Stable Isotope Record of Late Cretaceous–Early Eocene Climate Change and Carbon‐Cycling

AbstractThe Late Cretaceous–Early Paleogene is the most recent period in Earth history that experienced sustained global greenhouse warmth on multimillion year timescales. Yet, knowledge of ambient climate conditions and the complex interplay between various forcing mechanisms are still poorly constrained. Here we present a 14.75 million‐year‐long, high‐resolution, orbitally tuned record of paired climate change and carbon‐cycling for this enigmatic period (~67–52 Ma), which we compare to an up‐to‐date compilation of atmospheric pCO2 records. Our climate and carbon‐cycling records, which are the highest resolution stratigraphically complete records to be constructed from a single marine site in the Atlantic Ocean, feature all major transient warming events (termed “hyperthermals”) known from this time period. We identify eccentricity as the dominant pacemaker of climate and the carbon cycle throughout the Late Maastrichtian to Early Eocene, through the modulation of precession. On average, changes in the carbon cycle lagged changes in climate by ~23,000 years at the long eccentricity (405,000‐year) band, and by ~3,000–4,500 years at the short eccentricity (100,000‐year) band, suggesting that light carbon was released as a positive feedback to warming induced by orbital forcing. Our new record places all known hyperthermals of the Late Maastrichtian–Early Eocene into temporal context with regards to evolving ambient climate of the time. We constrain potential carbon cycle influences of Large Igneous Province volcanism associated with the Deccan Traps and North Atlantic Igneous Province, as well as the sensitivity of climate and the carbon‐cycle to the 2.4 million‐year‐long eccentricity cycle.

Marine anoxia and sedimentary mercury enrichments during the Late Cambrian SPICE event in northern Scotland

Elevated mercury concentrations in ancient sedimentary rocks are used as a fingerprint for large igneous province (LIP) volcanism because there is a tight association between known LIPs and coeval sedimentary Hg anomalies. While nonvolcanic processes of sedimentary Hg enrichment, including redox variations, have been demonstrated in modern settings, interpretations of ancient sedimentary Hg records have focused on LIP volcanism. Here, we document a link between sedimentary Hg enrichment and marine redox changes during the late Cambrian Steptoean positive isotopic carbon excursion (SPICE) event, a time with no known LIP. We report a new occurrence of the SPICE event from the Eilean Dubh Formation of northern Scotland, which preserves a series of coeval Hg enrichments. Abundant glauconite, a redox-sensitive iron-bearing mineral, co-occurs stratigraphically with the SPICE and Hg enrichments but is rare to absent from the rest of the section, and bioturbation is low in strata spanning the SPICE. We suggest that local Hg enrichments were driven by changing marine redox conditions during the SPICE event, rather than emplacement of a LIP. Redox oscillations should be considered as an additional control on Hg enrichments in the geologic record.

Second-stage Caribbean Large Igneous Province volcanism: The depleted Icing on the enriched Cake

A long-standing question has been whether the Lower Nicaraguan Rise in the western Caribbean Sea represents thinned continental crust or is part of the Caribbean Large Igneous Province (CLIP). During the R/V Meteor cruise M81/2, the northeastern part of the Lower Nicaraguan Rise including the Hess Escarpment was extensively sampled. Only volcanic and carbonate rocks were recovered and no metamorphic rocks or rocks with continental crustal affinities, indicating that at least the uppermost basement is volcanic and belongs to a volcanic province, probably the CLIP. We provide a comprehensive geochemical dataset, including major and trace elements and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb double spike isotope ratios, for the volcanic rocks. The basalts are geochemically subdivided into two groups: 1) depleted and 2) enriched. The majority belong to the depleted group with 6–9 wt% MgO and highly depleted incompatible element (e.g. (La/Yb)N = 0.15–0.76, (La/Sm)N = 0.21–0.65) compositions and depleted radiogenic isotope (e.g. εNdi = 8.9–11.0, εHfi = 13.6–16.5, 206Pb/204Pbi = 18.28–18.98) ratios. The subordinate enriched group basalts have 5–8 wt% MgO and were solely recovered from the lower part of the central Hess Escarpment. These rocks possess enriched incompatible element ((La/Sm)N = 1.15–1.60, (La/Yb)N = 1.40–2.57) and isotopic (εNdi = 7.52–8.34, εHfi = 12.6–12.9, 206Pb/204Pbi = 18.87–19.07) ratios resembling E-MORB. The depleted group is distinct from Pacific and Atlantic MORB based on combined 206Pb/204Pb, 143Nd/144Nd and 176Hf/177Hf data. It is similar, but not identical to the highly depleted Gorgona komatiites, thought to be generated during the CLIP event, and depleted Galápagos hotspot track lavas accreted to the Pacific margin of Central America. Ages of ~81 Ma from rocks drilled on the Hess Escarpment postdate the main CLIP phase (95-83 Ma), and indicate that at least the northeastern part of the Nicaraguan Rise formed during a later volcanic event. Lithospheric thinning after the main CLIP phase is suggested to have triggered upwelling of still anomalously hot, partially-melted or unmelted CLIP mantle material to form the younger depleted group of lavas. Our investigations imply that second-stage melting to generate depleted compositions during formation of oceanic large igneous provinces, as has been recently proposed for the Manihiki Plateau, is a more common process than originally thought.

Does large igneous province volcanism always perturb the mercury cycle? Comparing the records of Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 and the end-Cretaceous to other Mesozoic events

Mercury (Hg) is increasingly being used as a sedimentary tracer of Large Igneous Province (LIP) volcanism, and supports hypotheses of a coincidence between the formation of several LIPs and episodes of mass extinction and major environmental perturbation. However, numerous important questions remain to be answered before Hg can be claimed as an unequivocal fingerprint of LIP volcanism, as well as an understanding of why some sedimentary records document clear Hg enrichment signals whilst others do not. Of particular importance is evaluating the impact of different volcanic styles on the global mercury cycle, as well as the role played by depositional processes in recording global Hg-cycle perturbations. Here, new mercury records of Cretaceous Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE 2: ∼94 Ma) and the latest Cretaceous (∼67–66.0 Ma) are presented. OAE 2 is associated with the emplacement of multiple, predominantly submarine, LIPs; the latest Cretaceous with subaerial volcanism of the Deccan Traps. Both of these connections are strongly supported by previously published trends towards unradiogenic osmium- (Os) isotope values in globally distributed sedimentary records. Hg data from both events show considerable variation between different locations, attributed to the effectiveness of different sediment types in registering the Hg signal, with lithologically homogeneous records documenting more clear Hg enrichments than sections with major changes in lithology such as limestones to claystones or organic-rich shales. Crucially, there is no geographically consistent signal of sedimentary Hg enrichment in stratigraphic records of either OAE 2 or the latest Cretaceous that matches Os-isotope evidence for LIP emplacement, indicating that volcanism did not cause a global Hg perturbation throughout the entire eruptive history of the LIPs formed at those times. It is suggested that the discrepancy between Os-isotope and Hg trends in records of OAE 2 is caused by the limited dispersal range of Hg emitted from submarine volcanoes compared to the global-scale distribution of Os. A similar lack of correlation between these two proxies in uppermost Cretaceous strata indicates that, although subaerial volcanism can perturb the global Hg cycle, not all subaerial eruptions will do so. These results highlight the variable impact of different volcanogenic processes on the efficiency of Hg dispersal across the globe. Factors that could influence the impact of LIP eruptions on the global mercury cycle include submarine versus subaerial volcanism, volcanic intensity or explosivity, and the potential contribution of thermogenic mercury from reactions between ascending magma and surrounding organic-rich sediments.

Hyperthermal-driven mass extinctions: killing models during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction.

Many mass extinctions of life in the sea and on land have been attributed to geologically rapid heating, and in the case of the Permian–Triassic and others, driven by large igneous province volcanism. The Siberian Traps eruptions raised ambient temperatures to 35–40°C. A key question is how massive eruptions during these events, and others, could have killed life in the sea and on land; proposed killers are reviewed here. In the oceans, benthos and plankton were killed by anoxia–euxinia and lethal heating, respectively, and the habitable depth zone was massively reduced. On land, the combination of extreme heating and drought reduced the habitable land area, and acid rain stripped forests and soils. Physiological experiments show that some animals can adapt to temperature rises of a few degrees, and that some can survive short episodes of increases of 10°C. However, most plants and animals suffer major physiological damage at temperatures of 35–40°C. Studies of the effects of extreme physical conditions on modern organisms, as well as assumptions about rates of environmental change, give direct evidence of likely killing effects deriving from hyperthermals of the past.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Hyperthermals: rapid and extreme global warming in our geological past’.

Thallium isotopes reveal protracted anoxia during the Toarcian (Early Jurassic) associated with volcanism, carbon burial, and mass extinction

For this study, we generated thallium (Tl) isotope records from two anoxic basins to track the earliest changes in global bottom water oxygen contents over the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE; ∼183 Ma) of the Early Jurassic. The T-OAE, like other Mesozoic OAEs, has been interpreted as an expansion of marine oxygen depletion based on indirect methods such as organic-rich facies, carbon isotope excursions, and biological turnover. Our Tl isotope data, however, reveal explicit evidence for earlier global marine deoxygenation of ocean water, some 600 ka before the classically defined T-OAE. This antecedent deoxygenation occurs at the Pliensbachian/Toarcian boundary and is coeval with the onset of initial large igneous province (LIP) volcanism and the initiation of a marine mass extinction. Thallium isotopes are also perturbed during the T-OAE interval, as defined by carbon isotopes, reflecting a second deoxygenation event that coincides with the acme of elevated marine mass extinctions and the main phase of LIP volcanism. This suggests that the duration of widespread anoxic bottom waters was at least 1 million years in duration and spanned early to middle Toarcian time. Thus, the Tl data reveal a more nuanced record of marine oxygen depletion and its links to biological change during a period of climatic warming in Earth's past and highlight the role of oxygen depletion on past biological evolution.

Mercury anomalies, volcanic pulses, and drowning episodes along the northern Tethyan margin during the latest Hauterivian-earliest Aptian

The latest Hauterivian-earliest Aptian time interval includes three episodes of significant environmental change (Faraoni, late early-Barremian, and Taxy Episodes). This time interval appears to partially overlap with large-scale volcanic activity related to the Tristan da Cunha plume along the Rio Grande Rise, High Arctic large igneous province volcanism, and the early phase in the formation of the greater Ontong Java LIP in the Pacific. The establishment of exact temporal relationships between volcanic activity and environmental change remains, however, a major challenge, due to the scarcity of numerical ages for the Early Cretaceous. We report mercury (Hg) contents in uppermost Hauterivian-lowermost Aptian marl/limestone alternations from seven sections along a NS transect in the Western Tethys. The Hg contents in marl samples display rather scattered records, which are generally well correlated with the total organic carbon (TOC) records. In associated limestone beds, five distinct spikes in Hg concentrations occur in three intervals (latest Hauterivian, early Barremian, and latest Barremian). The small amounts of organic matter (<0.2 wt%) in the limestones suggest that organic matter only played a limited role in Hg sequestration. Three Hg peaks in the middle of the Balearites balearis Zone, in the Faraoni level, and in the early Barremian occur only in one of the seven studied sections, which indicate a regionally variable distribution of Hg during these episodes. However, two distinct enrichments in Hg concentrations at the top of the B. balearis Zone (below the Faraoni level) and the M. sarasini Zone (below the Taxy level) appear comparable and correlatable between the sections. These data indicate that important volcanic activity antedating the Faraoni and the Taxy episodes may have contributed to the onset of associated environmental and ecological perturbations during the latest Hauterivian and latest Barremian, such as carbonate platform drowning phases.

Sedimentary Mercury Enrichments as a Marker for Submarine Large Igneous Province Volcanism? Evidence From the Mid‐Cenomanian Event and Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (Late Cretaceous)

AbstractOceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE 2), during the Cenomanian‐Turonian transition (∼94 Ma), was the largest perturbation of the global carbon cycle in the mid‐Cretaceous and can be recognized by a positive carbon‐isotope excursion in sedimentary strata. Although OAE 2 has been linked to large‐scale volcanism, several large igneous provinces (LIPs) were active at this time (e.g., Caribbean, High Arctic, Madagascan, Ontong‐Java) and little clear evidence links OAE 2 to a specific LIP. The Mid‐Cenomanian Event (MCE, ∼96 Ma), identified by a small, 1‰ positive carbon‐isotope excursion, is often referred to as a prelude to OAE 2. However, no underlying cause has yet been demonstrated and its relationship to OAE 2 is poorly constrained. Here we report sedimentary mercury (Hg) concentration data from four sites, three from the southern margin of the Western Interior Seaway and one from Demerara Rise, in the equatorial proto‐North Atlantic Ocean. We find that, in both areas, increases in mercury concentrations and Hg/TOC ratios coincide with the MCE and the OAE 2. However, the increases found in these sites are of a lower magnitude than those found in records of many other Mesozoic events, possibly characteristic of a marine rather than atmospheric dispersal of mercury for both events. Combined, the new mercury data presented here are consistent with an initial magmatic pulse at the time of the MCE, with a second, greater pulse at the onset of OAE 2, possibly related to the emplacement of LIPs in the Pacific Ocean and/or the High Arctic.

Chemostratigraphy and evolution of the Paraná Igneous Province volcanism in the central portion of the state of Paraná, Southern Brazil

Analysis of borehole samples offers the potential to investigate the chemostratigraphic variations of a large igneous province in subsurface. New geochemical data based on multielement analyses of 829 chip samples that were obtained during the drilling of seven deep boreholes is presented for the central area of the Paraná Igneous Province (PIP). In order to detail the compositional variations found within the two main types from the Central-Northern Subprovince (CNSP), simple statistical treatment was carried out for part this database. Thus, the combination of low (L) and high (H) contents of Th, Nb, La and Yb was used as a means to create 16 geochemical subtypes for the Type 4 (LSi-LZr-HTi-HP) sequence. Likewise, other four elements (Cr, Ni, Cu and Pd) were selected with the same intention for the Type 1 (Central-Northern) (LSi-LZr-LTi-LP) sequence. When subtypes are plotted in the cross section, it is possible to observe that those with similar characteristics tend to be associated in groups (cycles). This analysis showed that the volcanic pile can be divided into at least eleven different cycles and also that they are laterally continuous throughout the section. The compositional changes observed in these volcanic cycles also display correlations with Mg#, Zr, Ti/Y and La/SmN ratios, for example. Therefore, since the reservoir is marked by periods of injection of more differentiated or more mafic magmas, it could be suggested that it was periodically recharged with batches of magma from the parental source.