Shen et al. (2026): Atmospheric CO₂ drawdown during the Emeishan flood basalt volcanism
Jiaheng Shen, Yi Ge Zhang, Dong-Xun Yuan & Yi-Gang Xu, IN: Nature Communications, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69600-z
The conventional model linking large igneous provinces (LIPs) to atmospheric CO₂ concentrations (pCO₂) predicts elevated CO₂ during volcanic emplacement, leading to biotic crises. However, this generalization requires testing. Here, the authors reconstruct pCO₂ variations throughout the Emeishan LIP emplacement (~260 Ma) using carbon isotopes from chlorophyll-derived compounds.