Paleozoic large igneous provinces of Northern Eurasia: Correlation with mass extinction events

This paper assesses data from recently described major Paleozoic large igneous provinces (LIPs), mostly in Northern Eurasia. The 10 LIPs reviewed form a unimodal distribution in terms of volume. Eight LIPs have an initial modal volume greater than 0.1 × 106 km3. The rift associated basalts of 2 LIPs from the end of the Late Cambrian Period and the end of the Late Ordovician Period do not occupy a large volume. Some of the provinces were discovered or rediscovered relatively recently and dating is still approximate, but most provinces fit a simple model in which volcanism persisted on the order of 10–20 Myr, often resulting in continental break-up. Correlation between LIP ages and the ages of geological events in the Paleozoic Era that reflect mass extinctions and oceanic anoxia agrees with correlations suggested by Courtillot (1994) and Courtillot and Renne (2003) for the Cenozoic and Mesozoic eras, considering that the absolute dating of some Paleozoic LIPs needs to be strengthened in the future.

► Novel large igneous provinces are described in Eurasia.
► A correlation between giant volcanic eruptions and mass extinctions is suggested for Paleozoic.
► Uncertainties and existing complexities of such correlation are pointed out.