Slowing of continental plate movement controlled the timing of Earth's largest volcanic events

Some of the most devastating extinction events in Earth's history were caused by volcanic events that occurred millions of years ago, and scientists now know how they happened.

The new research suggests that a slowing of continental plate movement was the key event that allowed magma to rise to the Earth's surface and deliver the devastating knock-on impacts.

The largest of which have caused major increases in atmospheric carbon emissions that warmed Earth's climate led to mass extinctions on land and in the oceans.

An international team led by scientists from Trinity College Dublin's School of Natural Sciences was able to link two important events from around 183 million years ago.

In what is now known as southern Africa, Antarctica and Australia, the team discovered that this time period was characterized by some of the most severe climatic and environmental changes ever.

The key fundamental geological process that seemed to control the timing and onset of this volcanic event was discovered by the team's plate reconstruction models.

The leader of the team was the assistant professor in the school of natural sciences. The new evidence shows that the normal rate of continental plate movement is what caused the volcanic activity of the past.

It is only when the speed of continental plate movement slows down to near zero that mantle plumes can make their way to the surface and cause large volcanic eruptions.

A reduction in continental plate movement is a fundamental process in controlling the evolution of climate and life at Earth's surface throughout the history of this planet.

The study of past global change events, such as in the Toarcian, allows scientists to untangle the different processes that control the causes and consequences of global carbon cycle change.

More information: Micha Ruhl, Reduced plate motion controlled timing of Early Jurassic Karoo-Ferrar large igneous province volcanism, Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo0866. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abo0866 Journal information: Science Advances