Reply to Henehan and Witts: Continental flood basalts drive extinctions after the mid-Mesozoic

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Abstract:
The temporal coincidence of large igneous provinces (LIPs) with Phanerozoic extinctions (eg, ref. 1) has encouraged investigations of causality. Green et al.(2) found a greater temporal correlation between LIPs and Phanerozoic extinctions than expected from random chance. Henehan and Witts (3) suggest that, though earlier LIPs may have caused extinctions, the mid-Mesozoic rise of pelagic marine calcifiers prevented later volcanism like the Deccan Traps from significantly perturbing the ecosystem. Here, we address this comment (3) by calculating the coincidence product (2) with a timeframe restricted to the mid-Mesozoic through Quaternary.

Suggested citation:
Green, T., Renne, P.R., & Keller, C.B. (2023). Reply to Henehan and Witts: Continental flood basalts drive extinctions after the mid-Mesozoic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(21), e2304194120.