Large igneous province

A large igneous province is a vast accumulation of mostly volcanic rock emplaced during an unusually brief interval of geologic time. Its volume and rapid formation distinguish it from ordinary volcanism.

Mantle plume: A buoyant upwelling of hot mantle that can drive melting beneath Earth's lithosphere. A plume is one proposed source of the unusually high magma output in many provinces.
Deccan Traps: A vast Cretaceous flood-basalt province in western India, erupted around the time of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction. Its eruptive history is central to debates about volcanism's role in the end-Cretaceous crisis.
Hotspot (geology): A volcanically active region thought to reflect unusually hot mantle beneath a moving tectonic plate. Some provinces have been linked to hotspot tracks and the arrival of mantle upwellings beneath continents.
Mass extinction: A geologically brief interval in which a substantial fraction of Earth's species disappear worldwide. Several major provinces formed near mass extinctions, prompting tests of volcanic causation.
Large igneous province classification: The criteria geologists use to distinguish large igneous provinces from other extensive episodes of magmatism. Definitions differ over size, duration, and which intrusive rocks should count.
Decompression melting: The production of melt as rising mantle experiences falling pressure without substantial cooling. Rising mantle can partially melt and supply the large volumes of magma.
Siberian Traps: A large Permian flood-basalt province in Siberia associated with the end-Permian mass extinction. Its intrusions and eruptions are linked to severe environmental disruption at the Permian–Triassic boundary.
Lithosphere: Earth's rigid outer layer, comprising the crust and the uppermost mantle. The thickness and structure of the lithosphere influence where province-forming melts accumulate or erupt.
End-Permian extinction: The largest known mass extinction, occurring about 252 million years ago at the Permian–Triassic boundary. The Siberian Traps are implicated in the environmental changes associated with this extinction.
Geochronology: The science of determining the ages of rocks, fossils, and geological events. Precise dating is needed to test whether eruptions preceded or overlapped environmental crises.

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