Central Atlantic Magmatic Province

The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province is an immense Early Jurassic basalt province formed during the initial breakup of Pangaea, across regions now separated by the Atlantic Ocean.

Flood basalt: A large igneous province built mainly from extensive, rapidly erupted basaltic lava flows. CAMP is a continental-scale example of this volcanic province type.
Pangaea: A supercontinent that assembled most of Earth’s landmasses during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic. CAMP erupted across the interior of this supercontinent before its breakup.
End-Triassic extinction: The mass extinction near the Triassic–Jurassic boundary that removed many marine and terrestrial species. CAMP is a leading proposed volcanic trigger for this biological crisis.
Palisades Sill: A prominent Early Jurassic dolerite intrusion exposed along the Hudson River in New York and New Jersey. It is one of CAMP’s best-known intrusive bodies.
High-precision geochronology: The measurement of geological ages with methods designed to resolve short intervals and small age differences. Tighter CAMP eruption dates test how closely volcanism tracked environmental change.
Large igneous province: A vast accumulation of igneous rocks emplaced over a geologically short interval. This broader category places CAMP among Earth’s largest magmatic events.
Triassic–Jurassic extinction event: A major extinction around 201 million years ago that eliminated many species and reshaped marine and terrestrial ecosystems. CAMP volcanism overlapped this extinction, prompting tests of a causal connection.
Carbon dioxide: A colorless atmospheric gas released by volcanism and produced by many biological and industrial processes. CAMP eruptions may have raised atmospheric carbon dioxide and driven warming.
Watchung Mountains: A chain of volcanic ridges in New Jersey formed by resistant Early Jurassic basalt flows. Their lava sequences provide a classic exposed record of CAMP eruptions.
Argon–argon dating: A radiometric dating method that estimates mineral ages by comparing argon isotopes. It has helped establish the timing of CAMP lava flows and intrusions.

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