Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why might volcanic activity and seafloor spreading have warmed the Jurassic climate?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Jurassic Period
Distribution of landmasses, mountainous regions, shallow seas, and deep ocean basins during the late Jurassic Period. Included in the paleogeographic reconstruction are the locations of the interval's subduction zones.
It has been suggested that increased volcanic and seafloor-spreading activity during the Jurassic Period contributed to the warming of the global climate by releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas.1
This process is linked to the significant tectonic activity of the era, which included the ongoing breakup of the supercontinent Pangea and the formation of new ocean basins. As seafloor spreading occurred along mid-ocean ridges, the associated volcanic activity and the release of gases from the Earth's interior likely enhanced the greenhouse effect, leading to the generally warm global temperatures observed in the Jurassic environment.12