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How could Siberian Trap volcanism have contributed to the Permian extinction?
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Permian Period
Distribution of landmasses, mountainous regions, shallow seas, and deep ocean basins near the end of the Permian Period. Included in the paleogeographic reconstruction are the locations of the interval's subduction zones.
The Siberian Traps, a massive volcanic event that extruded millions of cubic kilometers of basalt about 250 million years ago, are considered a primary driver of the Permian extinction through several environmental mechanisms:
- Atmospheric Alteration: The eruptions injected vast quantities of carbon dioxide and other volcanic gases into the atmosphere, contributing to significant global warming.123
- Photosynthetic Inhibition: Clouds of volcanic ash likely darkened the skies, restricting sunlight and reducing the efficiency of photosynthesis. This inhibited carbon fixation by plants, further disrupting the carbon cycle.124
- Oceanic Impacts: The release of greenhouse gases may have increased ocean acidity. Furthermore, the warming and volcanic activity are linked to widespread oceanic anoxia, or low dissolved oxygen levels, which devastated marine life.314
- Secondary Emissions: Magma rising through the crust may have ignited large coal seams and forests, releasing additional carbon dioxide and coal fly ash into the atmosphere.124
- Nutrient Release: Volcanism released nickel, a nutrient that may have triggered a population explosion of methane-producing archaea, leading to further atmospheric methane increases and warming.5