Everything about The Siberian Traps totally explained
The
Siberian Traps form a
large igneous province in
Siberia. The massive eruptive event spans the
Permian-
Triassic boundary, about 251 to 250 million
years ago, and was essentially coincident with the
Permian-Triassic extinction event in what was one of the largest known
volcanic events of the last 500 million years of
Earth's geological history. The term 'traps' is derived from the
Swedish word for stairs (
trappa, or sometimes
trapp), referring to the step-like
hills forming the landscape of the region.
Geographical extent
Vast volumes of
basaltic
lava paved over a large expanse of primeval Siberia in a
flood basalt event. Today the area covered is about 2 million km² and estimates of the original coverage are as high as 7 million km². The original volume of lava is estimated to range from 1 to 4 million km³.
The area covered lies between 50 and 75 degrees north latitude and 60 to 120 degrees east longitude. The volcanism continued for a million years and spanned the Permian-Triassic boundary. There is no firm evidence that this event caused (or helped cause) the
Permian-Triassic extinction event, but the timing of the two events is suggestive of a causal link.
Reason for formation
The source of the Siberian Traps basalt is considered to be a
mantle plume which impacted the base of the crust and erupted through the
Siberian Craton.
Helium isotope geochemistry from the basalts indicates a plume origin. The scientific debate continues, however. The other common theory is that the traps were caused by a very large asteroid impact.
Siberian Traps and nickel
The Siberian Traps are considered to have erupted via numerous vents over a period of roughly a million years or more, probably east and south of
Norilsk in Siberia. Individual eruptions of basalt lavas could have exceeded 2000 km
3 or even more. The giant
Norilsk-Talnakh nickel-
copper-
palladium deposit formed within the magma conduits in the main part of the Siberian Traps. The presence of extensive
tuff and pyroclastic deposits suggests that a number of large explosive eruptions occurred during or before the eruptions of basaltic lavas. The presence of
silicic volcanic rocks such as
rhyolite is also indicative of explosive eruptions.
Further Information
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