The largest volcanic eruptions on Earth

Bryan, Scott; Peate, David W.; Peate, I. Ukstins; Self, Stephen; Mawby, Michael; Jerram, Dougal A.; Marsh, Goonie

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.07.001

Cited by 281 publications

(184 citation statements)

References 147 publications

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“…The PEMP (Paraná-Etendeka Magmatic Province) is considered one of the largest LIPs (large igneous provinces) of continental crust in the world, encompassing an area of nearly 1 million cubic kilometers (Bryan et al, 2010) was erupted in a short period of time (∼ 3 million years) without significant interruption, as deduced from the scarcity of sediments interlayered within the volcanic sequence. In fact, and up to now, the only references to the presence of sediments interbedded within the volcanics corresponded to layers or lenses of sandstones (intertraps), a few centimeters to several meters thick, from the Botucatu Formation.…”

Section: Discussion and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

New insights on the occurrence of peperites and sedimentary deposits within the silicic volcanic sequences of the Paraná Magmatic Province, Brazil

Luchetti¹,

Nardy²,

Machado³

et al. 2014

Solid Earth

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Abstract. The PMP (Paraná Magmatic Province) is characterized by lava flows of the Early Cretaceous Serra Geral Formation which covers about 75 % of the Paraná Basin (southern and southeastern Brazil), composed of a thick (up to 1600 m) volcanic sequence formed by a succession of petrographically and geochemically distinct units of basic and silicic composition. The whole package must have been emplaced during approximately 3 million years of nearly uninterrupted activity. A few aeolian sandstone layers, indicating arid environmental conditions (the Botucatu Formation), are interlayered in the lower basalts. Above the basalts, the Palmas and Chapecó Members are composed of silicic volcanic rocks (quartz latites, dacites, rhyodacites and rhyolites) and basalts. This paper presents new evidence of sedimentation episodes separating silicic volcanic events, expressed by the occurrence of sedimentary deposits. Interaction between the volcanic bodies and the coeval unconsolidated sediments formed peperites. The sediments were observed between basaltic lava flows and silicic rocks or interlayered in the Palmas-type rocks, between the Chapecó-type rocks and overlying basaltic flows, between silicic bodies of the Palmas and Chapecó types, and interlayered within Palmas-type units. The observed structures indicate that the sediments were still wet and unconsolidated, or weakly consolidated, at the time of volcanism, which, coupled with the sediment features, reflect environmental conditions that are different from those characterizing the Botucatu arid conditions.

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Section: Discussion and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

New insights on the occurrence of peperites and sedimentary deposits within the silicic volcanic sequences of the Paraná Magmatic Province, Brazil

Luchetti¹,

Nardy²,

Machado³

et al. 2014

Solid Earth

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“…1). Together these outcrops cover an estimated 55,000 km 2 (Bultitude, 1972(Bultitude, , 1976Cutovinos et al, 2002) and although controversial, if originally connected as a continuous expanse of lava fields, would have had an estimated areal extent of ~400,000 km 2 (Veevers, 2001), and a volume of ~1.5 x 10 5 km 3 (Glass and Phillips, 2006), thus making it comparable in size and volume to the well preserved Columbia River Basalt Province, USA (Coffin and Eldholm, 1994;Bryan et al, 2010). The Table Hill Volcanics (THV) of Western Australia, some 1000 km south of the APV, are also now considered part of the Kalkarindji province through geochemical, geochronological and stratigraphic correlation (Grey et al, 2005;Glass and Phillips, 2006;Evins et al, 2009) (Fig.…”

Section: Geological Background Of the Kalkarindji Cfbpmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was erupted onto the North Australian Craton during the mid-Cambrian period between 511 -505 ± 2 Ma (Glass and Phillips, 2006;Evins et al, 2009;Jourdan et al, 2014), which formed part of Gondwana (Foden et al, 2006;Torsvik and Cocks, 2009;Cocks and Torsvik, 2013). The composition and morphology of CFBP lavas are known to vary significantly within a province (Walker, 1971;Bondre et al, 2004;Single and Jerram, 2004;Bryan et al, 2010;Brown et al, 2011;Duraiswami et al, 2014), but the common CFBP lava emplacement mode is as extensive pāhoehoe flow fields emplaced by a process of endogenous inflation, as observed occurring on the flanks of modern day shield volcanoes such as in Hawai'i (Self et al, 1997Thordarson and Self, 1998;Bondre et al, 2004;Single and Jerram, 2004;Jerram and Widdowson, 2005;Waichel et al, 2006;Vye-Brown et al, 2013). Whilst this emplacement model is characteristic of the majority of the Kalkarindji basalt succession (Sweet et al, 1971;Bultitude, 1976;Mory and Beere, 1985), debate remains regarding the nature of the Blackfella Rockhole Member (BRM), because the appearance of these units differs significantly from those commonly observed in CFBP successions (Sweet et al, 1974;Mory and Beere, 1985;Jourdan et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Giant Lavas of Kalkarindji: rubbly pāhoehoe lava in an ancient continental flood basalt province

Marshall

Widdowson

Murphy

2016

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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The Kalkarindji continental flood basalt province of northern Australia erupted in the mid Cambrian . It now consists of scattered basaltic lava fields, the most extensive being the Antrim Plateau Volcanics (APV) -a semi-continuous outcrop (c. 50,000 km 2 ) reaching a maximum thickness of 1.1 km. Cropping out predominately in the SW of the APV, close to the top of the basalt succession, lies the Blackfella Rockhole Member (BRM). Originally described as 'basaltic agglomerate' the BRM has, in recent years, been assumed to be explosive tephra of phreatomagmatic origin, thus providing a potent vehicle for volatile release to the upper atmosphere. Our detailed field investigations reveal that this basaltic agglomerate is, in reality, giant rubble collections (15 -20 m thick) forming the upper crusts of rubbly pāhoehoe lava units 25 -40 m thick; covering 18,000 -72,000 km 2 and an estimated volume of 1,500 -19,200 km 3 . These flows, rheologically but not chemically, distinct from the majority of Kalkarindji lavas, indicate a fundamental change in eruption dynamics. A low volatile content, induced high amounts of pre-eruptive degassing causing super-cooling and an increase in crystal nucleation and viscosity. A more viscous lava and a consistently faster rate of effusion (analogous to that of Laki, Iceland) created the flow dynamics necessary to disturb the lava crust to the extent seen in the BRM. Volatile release is estimated at 1.65 × 10 4 -2.11 × 10 5 Tg total CO2 at a rate of 867 Tg a -1 and 9.07 × 10 3 -1.16 × 10 5 Tg SO2 at 476.50 Tg a -1 . These masses accounted for 0.5% of Cambrian atmospheric conditions whilst limiting factors reduced the effect of volatile delivery to the atmosphere, thus any potential global impact caused by these flows alone was minimal.

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“…Volumes of individual lava flows can be over 1,000 km 3 dense rock equivalent (Bryan et al, 2010). Each lava flow has a three-part vertical division with a rubbly, vesicular top; a massive, relatively unfractured core; and a vesicular base.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Use of Fractal Surfaces to Understand Seismic Wave Propagation in Layered Basalt Sequences

Nelson

Hobbs

Rusch

2014

Pure Appl. Geophys.

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The largest volcanic eruptions on Earth

Cited by 281 publications

References 147 publications

New insights on the occurrence of peperites and sedimentary deposits within the silicic volcanic sequences of the Paraná Magmatic Province, Brazil

New insights on the occurrence of peperites and sedimentary deposits within the silicic volcanic sequences of the Paraná Magmatic Province, Brazil

The Giant Lavas of Kalkarindji: rubbly pāhoehoe lava in an ancient continental flood basalt province

On the Use of Fractal Surfaces to Understand Seismic Wave Propagation in Layered Basalt Sequences

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