Linking mantle plumes, large igneous provinces and environmental catastrophes

The Siberian Traps, a large region of volcanic rock produced more than 200 million years ago by a massive volcanic event, is a prime example of a large igneous province (LIP). Stephan Sobolev and colleagues present petrological evidence for a large amount of dense recycled oceanic crust in the head of the plume that was responsible for forming the Siberian Traps. Using this, they develop a thermomechanical model that predicts the observed lack...