High temperature methane emissions from Large Igneous Provinces as contributors to late Permian mass extinctions

Isotope signatures preserved within a natural gas reservoir reveal large quantities of methane were generated and released from oil by a Large Igneous Province, resulting in the initiation of global warming, which led to the End-Permian Extinction. Methane (CH4) emissions induced by Large Igneous Provinces have the potential to contribute to global environmental changes that triggered mass extinctions in Earth's history. Here, we explore the source of methane in gas samples from central Sichuan Basin, which is within the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP). We report evidence of high methane formation temperatures (between 249(-17/+19) and 256(-20/+22) degrees C) from clumped methane measurements and mantle-derived signatures of noble gases, which verify that oil-cracked CH4 and pyrobitumen are by-products within the reservoirs, associated with hydrothermal activity and enhanced heating by the ELIP. We estimate the volume of oil-cracked CH4 induced by the ELIP and argue that CH4 emissions would have been sufficient to initiate global warming prior to the end of the Permian. We also suggest that similar emissions from oil-cracked CH4 associated with the Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province may also have contributed to the end-Permian mass extinction significantly.

Automated summary

The emissions of methane induced by Large Igneous Provinces such as the Emeishan Large Igneous Province have been found to contribute to global warming and the end-Permian mass extinction. Similar emissions from the Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province may also have played a significant role in the end-Permian mass extinction.