Permian Large Igneous Provinces and Their Paleoenvironmental Effects

Abstract

The Permian Period was characterized by a series of large-scale volcanic eruptions, including the emplacement of at least five mafic Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs: Skagerrak-Centered, Tarim, Panjal, Emeishan, and Siberian) and two silicic LIPs (Kennedy-Connors-Auburn and Choiyoi). Global climate change from a glacial (icehouse) state in the latest Carboniferous-Early Permian to nonglacial (greenhouse) state in the Late Permian and Permian-Triassic interval, and major biotic change such as the end-Guadalupian and end-Permian mass extinctions, also occurred in this interval. Whether these climate and biotic changes, along with other paleoenvironmental perturbations (e.g., carbon cycle, ocean chemistry, and terrestrial weathering), were triggered by or in certain ways associated with contemporaneous LIP volcanism need to be examined on a case-by-case basis. In this chapter, we summarize some recent advances in the studies of the Permian LIPs, contemporary paleoenvironmental conditions, and their potential associations with biodiversity changes, especially the end-Guadalupian and end-Permian mass extinctions. Our analyses suggest (1) high volume of volcanic products, (2) short duration, and (3) widespread sill intrusions that led to contact metamorphism with wall rocks (e.g., evaporates, organic-rich sediments, petroleum reservoir) are the pivotal factors determining the paleoenvironmental effects of LIP volcanism. The combination of these three characteristics enabled the Siberian Traps volcanism to be the most deadly, and potentially can affect the contemporaneous environment and biota on a global scale. Other mafic and silicic LIPs in the Permian, by contrast, either do not possess any of, or are only partly in accord with, these determining factors. Therefore, their impact on contemporaneous climate and ecosystem is limited.

Late Ordovician Mafic Magmatic Event, Southeast Siberia: Tectonic Implications, LIP Interpretation, and Potential Link with a Mass Extinction

“…Correlation between mass extinctions and flood-basalt eruptions and related LIPs starting from the Late Permian is now well documented, e.g., the ages of flood-basalt episodes match in age with 7 out of 11 major extinction events at 66, 94, ca. 120, 183, 201, 252, and 260 Ma [7,19,61,62]. For Paleozoic time, the relationship between most mass extinctions and LIPs is recognized as well [7,63].…”

Volume and rate of volcanic CO 2 emissions governed the severity of past environmental crises

“…High-precision geochronology data have revealed concurrences between LIPs and catastrophic mass extinctions [e.g., Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP) and the end-Triassic mass extinction ( 3 )] and between LIPs and less severe oceanic anoxic events [OAEs; e.g., Karoo–Ferrar LIPs and the Toarcian OAE ( 4 , 5 )]. However, there are also some LIPs that are seemingly not associated with any biotic or environmental perturbations [e.g., Paraná–Etendeka ( 6 ) and Tarim LIP ( 7 ); Fig. 1 A ] .…”