Marine large igneous provinces: Key drivers of Triassic recurrent extinction

Abstract The trigger for frequent extinctions during the Phanerozoic remains a persistent and unresolved frontier issue in Earth sciences. We present a detailed analysis of oceanic island, seamount, and plateau remnants in the Tibetan Plateau that trace the evolution of the Meso- and Neo-Tethys oceans, incorporating new and published data. During the Triassic, three major episodes of marine large igneous provinces (LIPs) formed at 250–248 Ma, 233–231 Ma, and 210–208 Ma. By integrating geological records of these LIP episodes with Triassic geological data sets, we demonstrate a correlation between marine LIPs and at least four extinctions in marine biota, driven by the resultant anoxic-euxinic events. Consequently, marine LIPs emerge as a primary driver of recurrent mass extinctions. Numerous previously unexplained extinctions throughout Earth’s history may potentially result from currently unidentified components of marine LIPs occurring as fragments within orogenic belts.