Abstract
Large igneous provinces (LIPs) represent some of the largest volcanic
events in Earth history with significant impacts on the ecosystem,
including mass extinctions. However, there are some fundamental
questions related to the eruption rate, eruption style, and vent
locations for LIP lava flows that remain unanswered. In this review, we
use the Cretaceous-Paleogene Deccan Traps as an archetype to address
these questions since it is one of the best-preserved large continental
flood basalt provinces. We describe the volcanological features of the
Deccan flows and their potential temporal and regional variations as
well as the spatial characteristics of potential feeder dikes. Along
with estimates of eruption rates for Deccan lavas from paleomagnetism
and Hg proxy records, the Deccan volcanic characteristics suggest a
unified conceptual model for the eruption of voluminous (>
1000 km$^3$) LIP lavas with large spatial extent (>
40,000 km$^2$). We conclude the review by highlighting a few key
open questions and challenges that can help improve our understanding of
how Deccan, as well as LIP flows in general, erupt and flow over long
distances.