A collaborative endeavor involving geologists from both China and Australia has yielded compelling evidence suggesting that intermittent volcanic outpourings from extensive marine large igneous provinces (LIPs) instigated recurring, lesser-magnitude extinction events throughout the Triassic period.
Early Earth. Image credit: Peter Sawyer / Smithsonian Institution.
“Catastrophic mass extinction events represent profoundly disruptive occurrences in Earth’s history,” stated Dr. Jian-Jun Fan, a researcher affiliated with Jilin University and Curtin University, alongside his colleagues.
“Across the entire timeline of terrestrial evolution, a multitude of mass extinctions have transpired, with five particularly significant events standing out as historically representative.”
“These pivotal extinction episodes have irrevocably altered the trajectory of life’s development on our planet.”
“Beyond these five principal mass extinctions, Earth has also experienced numerous more frequent, albeit less severe, extinction events, such as the extinction that occurred during the Norian-Rhaetian stage of the Triassic period.”
“While the underlying causes of the most severe mass extinction events have been subjected to relatively thorough scientific investigation,”
“the precipitating factors behind these more common, lower-order extinction phenomena remain largely enigmatic.”
As part of their recent research, the investigators meticulously examined oceanic island formations, seamount structures, and plateau vestiges located within the Tibetan Plateau. These geological features serve as crucial indicators of the evolutionary history of the Meso- and Neo-Tethys oceans.
During the Triassic geological era, three principal phases of marine LIP formation were identified, occurring approximately 250-248, 233-231, and 210-208 million years ago.
By synthesizing geological records pertaining to these LIP episodes with existing Triassic geological datasets, the research team established a discernible correlation between the occurrence of marine LIPs and a minimum of four distinct extinction events impacting marine life. These events were posited to be a direct consequence of the resulting anoxic and euxinic (sulfidic) oceanographic conditions.
“Marine LIPs are implicated in half of the extinction events for which a definable geological trigger has been identified within the Triassic period,” the scientists reported.
“This finding underscores the significant role of marine LIPs as a primary instigator of extinctions during the Triassic.”
“Volcanic activity from marine LIPs on Earth is not an infrequent occurrence; however, the geological signatures of ancient marine LIPs are likely substantially obscured due to subduction processes associated with the closure of ocean basins.”
“This destructive geological process makes the identification of such ancient records exceedingly difficult, and even when successfully identified, precisely interpreting and dating them presents considerable challenges.”
“Mountain ranges formed by orogenic processes (i.e., the remnants of long-vanished ancient ocean basins) harbor numerous previously unrecognized ‘ghost’ marine LIPs. The eruptive activities of these marine LIPs are presumed to have been a principal driving force behind other extinction events during the Phanerozoic Eon that have historically been underestimated in Earth system models.”
The scientific publication detailing the team’s findings is available in the esteemed journal Geology. You can access the paper at: https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/doi/10.1130/G53406.1/724643/Marine-large-igneous-provinces-Key-drivers-of
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Jian-Jun Fan et al. Marine large igneous provinces: Key drivers of Triassic recurrent extinction. Geology, published online January 20, 2026; doi: 10.1130/G53406.1
