title: State shift in Deccan volcanism at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, possibly induced by impact.
abstract: Bolide impact and flood volcanism compete as leading candidates for the cause of terminal-Cretaceous mass extinctions. High-precision (40)Ar/(39)Ar data indicate that these two mechanisms may be genetically related, and neither can be considered in isolation. The existing Deccan Traps magmatic system underwent a state shift approximately coincident with the Chicxulub impact and the terminal-Cretaceous mass extinctions, after which ~70% of the Traps' total volume was extruded in more massive and more episodic eruptions. Initiation of this new regime occurred within ~50,000 years of the impact, which is consistent with transient effects of impact-induced seismic energy. Postextinction recovery of marine ecosystems was probably suppressed until after the accelerated volcanism waned.
authors.affiliation: Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. prenne@bgc.org.
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Renne
authors.affiliation: Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Courtney J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Sprain
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Self
authors.affiliation: Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Loÿc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vanderkluysen
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076, India.
authors.forename: Kanchan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pande