Supplementary material to “Large Igneous Provinces”
Millard F. Coffin, University of Tokyo, Tokyo; Clive Neal, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
Citation:
Coffin, M. F., and C. Neal (2007), Large igneous provinces, Eos Trans. AGU, 88(47), 505.
[Full Article (pdf)]
Catastrophic massive volcanism and contemporaneous environmental change have punctuated Earth history since at least 3.5 Ga, and have mystified and motivated Earth scientists for generations. The geodynamic and magmatic processes associated with flood basalt, or large igneous province (LIP) formation interact with certain elements of crustal structure and tectonic setting to produce a variety of expressions of LIPs, the most common of which are oceanic plateaus, magma-dominated divergent continental margins, and continental flood basalt provinces. A myriad of environmental perturbations are coeval with LIP formation, including climate changes, mass extinctions, accelerated evolutionary rates, oceanic anoxic events (OAEs), and variations in ocean chemistry. Exploring these relationships promises exciting scientific challenges.
The Large Igneous Provinces workshop, hosted by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Management International and Joint Oceanographic Institutions, was held at the University of Ulster 22-25 July in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Eighty scientists from 16 nations met to discuss strategies for advancing understanding of LIPs and associated environmental changes using a trio of new IODP platforms and related technologies that essentially expose the Earth beneath the sea for investigation. Over four days of plenary and breakout group meetings, including a one-day field trip to the UNESCO World Heritage Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast exposures of the North Atlantic LIP, scientists who approach LIPs through field, laboratory, and modeling studies educated one another about their understanding of the world’s LIPs, discussed the outstanding problems related to LIP origin, emplacement, and environmental consequences, and outlined a global mission to address these problems via drilling in conjunction with complementary geophysical and geological studies.
Studies of LIPs on the ocean floor and on land together with investigations into contemporaneous environmental changes involve a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines. To set the stage for intensive discussions, workshop participants heard global overviews of rift-related and intraplate LIPs as well as environmental consequences of LIPs. The four keynote presentations focused on (1) the most studied rift-related LIP— the conjugate Norway-East Greenland margins, (2) oceanic plateaus— Ontong Java Plateau and Kerguelen Plateau/Broken Ridge, (3) biotic responses and OAEs, and (4) capabilities of the three IODP platforms (riser, riserless, and mission-specific). Practical matters necessary for scientific drilling were the subject of presentations on the IODP proposal process and drill site characterization.
Multidisciplinary, synergistic approaches are required to address outstanding Earth system problems associated with LIP science, so the bulk of the workshop was conducted in plenary session to take advantage of the full diversity and expertise of workshop participants. Following keynote scientific and associated addresses, 49 five-minute presentations by participants spanned the spectrum of contemporary LIP and paleoenvironmental research. Focused thematic plenary and geographic breakout group discussions ensued, during which participants defined key LIP problems and identified drilling targets.
The workshop concluded with participants defining multiple pathways to drilling key LIPs ranging from individual projects to major mission initiatives, including full cooperation between the IODP and the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) for LIP investigations throughout Earth history, as well as joint academia-government-industry collaborations. Overall, the workshop highlighted that understanding the timing and duration of unique LIP magmatism and emplacement processes have significant implications for Earth system evolution, ranging from mantle geodynamics to climate and major global environmental and biotic changes.
A scientific white paper on large igneous provinces is in preparation for publication in Scientific Drilling, and the full workshop report is scheduled to be available in 2007 at http://www.iodp.org, which is also the source of comprehensive information about the IODP.
—Millard F. Coffin, University of Tokyo, Japan; E-mail: mcoffin@ori.u-tokyo.ac.jp; CLIVE R. NEAL, University of Notre Dame, Lafayette, Ind.; Robert A. Duncan, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Or.; Olav Eldholm, University of Bergen, Norway; Elisabetta Erba, University of Milano, Italy; Cinzia Farnetani, Institut de Physique du Globe, Paris, France; Godfrey Fitton, University of Edinburgh, Scotland; Stephanie P. Ingle, University of Hawaii, Hi.; Nao Ohkouchi, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka, Japan; Michael R. Rampino, New York University; Marc K. Reichow, University of Leicester, England; Stephen Self, Open University, England; Yoshiyuki Tatsumi, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokosuka, Japan
