Marine large igneous provinces: Key drivers of Triassic recurrent extinction

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.