State shift in Deccan volcanism at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, possibly induced by impact
Making an impact in more ways than one
Massive eruptions formed the Deccan Traps flood basalts in India at around the same time as the mass extinction event 65 million years ago. Renne et al. precisely dated the massive volcanic field, which suggests a simultaneous increase in volcanism associated with the famous Chicxulub impact. Strong ecologic recovery may have been impossible until the volcanism slowed down 500,000 years later.
Science, this issue p. 76
Abstract
Bolide impact and flood volcanism compete as leading candidates for the cause of terminal-Cretaceous mass extinctions. High-precision 40Ar/39Ar data indicate that these two mechanisms may be genetically related, and neither can be considered in isolation. The existing Deccan Traps magmatic system underwent a state shift approximately coincident with the Chicxulub impact and the terminal-Cretaceous mass extinctions, after which ~70% of the Traps' total volume was extruded in more massive and more episodic eruptions. Initiation of this new regime occurred within ~50,000 years of the impact, which is consistent with transient effects of impact-induced seismic energy. Postextinction recovery of marine ecosystems was probably suppressed until after the accelerated volcanism waned.
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Supplementary Material
Summary
Materials and Methods
Supplementary Text
Figs. S1 to S4
Table S1
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Published In
Science
Volume 350 • Issue 6256 • 2 October 2015
Pages: 76 - 78
History
Received: 8 June 2015
Accepted: 26 August 2015
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Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
