Thermal erosion of cratonic lithosphere as a potential trigger for mass-extinction
Mass extinction events (e.g., at the end of the Triassic, see picture) consisted of a short cold period due to massive SO2 injection in the atmosphere, followed by a greenhouse climate due to CO2 degassing. The article presents a petrological-geochemical model of progressive thermal erosion of continental lithosphere during mantle plume ascent.
Link to article in Nature Scientific Reports:
March 24, 2016Highlights