Preliminary Appraisal of a Correlation Between Glaciations and Large Igneous Provinces Over the Past 720 Million Years

Abstract

Earth has gone through periods of cooling including global, near global, or regional glaciations, which are observed in the Archean, Paleoproterozoic, Neoproterozoic, Ordovician, Permo‐Carboniferous, and Cenozoic times. We review the mechanisms by which large igneous provinces (LIPs) and silicic LIPs (SLIPs) can cause global cooling. Then we investi­ gate the correlation of LIPs with important glaciation events, focusing on those of Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic age. The 720 Ma Franklin‐Irkutsk LIP, a large part of which was emplaced into an evaporite basin and all of which was emplaced in the tropics, is linked with the start of the Sturtian glaciation, one of the longest and most severe glaciations in Earth history. The ca. 579 Ma pulse of the Central Iapetus Magmatic Province (CIMP) is associated with the start and end of the Gaskiers glaciation. The Hirnantian glaciation (ca. 440 Ma) may be associated with poorly dated ca. 450 Ma intraplate magmatism in several regions, including eastern Siberia, South Korea, Argentina, Iran, and elsewhere. It is also coincident with a huge volume of silicic volcanic provinces generated by supereruptions. Permo‐Carboniferous glacia­ tions (P1–P4, 300–260 Ma) can be correlated with widespread intraplate magmatism of the European northwest African magmatic province (and its initiation as the 300 Ma Skagerrak LIP), and also the 259 Ma Emeishan LIP of China. A recently recognized ca. 34 Ma initial pulse of the Afro‐Arabian LIP matches the Eocene‐Oligocene cooling (Oi‐1 glacia­ tion). More precise dating of both the LIPs and cooling events is required to confirm the correlations and to assess the role of LIPs relative to other causes proposed for global and regional glaciations.