How could volcanic activity during the breakup of Pangea have caused climate change and ocean acidification?
During the Triassic Period, intense volcanic activity associated with the breakup of the supercontinent Pangea is widely considered a primary driver of environmental change and mass extinction.1
This volcanism released vast quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The resulting increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels contributed to global warming by trapping heat near Earth's surface.12
Furthermore, this process led to ocean acidification. As the oceans absorbed the excess atmospheric carbon dioxide, the gas reacted with seawater to form carbonic acid, which increased the concentration of hydrogen ions and reduced the pH of the water. This shift in seawater chemistry lowered the availability of carbonate ions, making it difficult for marine calcifiers—such as corals, shellfish, and various ammonoids—to build and maintain their skeletons and shells. These combined climatic and chemical stressors are believed to have triggered the end-Triassic mass extinction.31