<p>Yes.</p>
<p>This phenomenon is called a large igneous province (LIP). During the Phanerozoic, continental LIPs have occurred with an average frequency of one every ~30 millions years—there are also oceanic LIPs. The last one was the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River_Basalt_Group" rel="noreferrer">Columbia River basalts</a>, emplaced around 16 Ma. Before that there was the Afar LIP around 30 Ma, before that the North Atlantic LIP around 60 Ma, before that the Deccan LIP around 66 Ma (you can see the record at <a href="http://www.largeigneousprovinces.org/" rel="noreferrer">largeigneousprovinces.org</a>)... So we are still in the typical time interval between two such events.</p>
<p>Moreover, LIPs are caused by upwelling mantle plumes and there are now many evidences (like seismic tomography images) that such plumes still exist in the mantle (useful resource : <a href="https://www.mantleplumes.org/" rel="noreferrer">mantleplumes.org</a>). So eventually, one of those plumes will trigger a new LIP. It is true that, over a very long timescale, the ongoing cooling of Earth will lead to a less vigorous mantle convection, less magmatism and volcanism, until the planet will become geologically dead. But we are talking billions of years here.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-25T19:45:54.360Z
Surprised Roland Emmerich hasn't got in on this one!
Crazymoomin
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-26T04:52:34.123Z
@Jean Will the planet reach "geologically dead" before the sun goes Red Giant?
Robotnik
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-26T14:37:05.467Z
@Robotnik Good question!... that I can't really answer. I don't think there is a consensus on the matter. A quick search showed a study that predicts the end of plate tectonics in 1.45 billions years. But the end of plate tectonics doesn't mean the planet is dead; Mars, for instance, has less vigorous convection than Earth but is still considered active (see my answer here: https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/40949/34513). Even the Moon, which is in a "stagnant lid" state, had volcanic activity quite recently (< 100 Ma), geologically speaking.
Jean-Marie Prival
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-24T15:40:06.213Z
2024-09-24T17:33:58.067Z
2024-09-24T17:33:58.067Z
Jean-Marie Prival
<p>My perception, which could be wrong, is that the Earth has been in a period of relatively mild volcanism recently, though I'm not sure if there's an underlying mechanism or if that's just because humans have only existed for a couple hundred geologic milliseconds.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-26T09:53:05.297Z
Please define 'recently'
Jan Doggen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-09-26T12:53:20.610Z
The last 10 million years, say
ijustlovemath
<volcanology>
Is the Earth still capable of massive volcanism, like the kind that caused the formation of the Siberian Traps?
ijustlovemath
# Is the Earth still capable of massive volcanism, like the kind that caused the formation of the Siberian Traps?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-09-24)

My perception, which could be wrong, is that the Earth has been in a period of relatively mild volcanism recently, though I'm not sure if there's an underlying mechanism or if that's just because humans have only existed for a couple hundred geologic milliseconds.

**Tags:** volcanology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Please define 'recently'  
> **username_0**: The last 10 million years, say  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-09-24. Score: 23 | Accepted answer

Yes.

This phenomenon is called a large igneous province (LIP). During the Phanerozoic, continental LIPs have occurred with an average frequency of one every ~30 millions years—there are also oceanic LIPs. The last one was the [Columbia River basalts](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River_Basalt_Group), emplaced around 16 Ma. Before that there was the Afar LIP around 30 Ma, before that the North Atlantic LIP around 60 Ma, before that the Deccan LIP around 66 Ma (you can see the record at [largeigneousprovinces.org](http://www.largeigneousprovinces.org/))... So we are still in the typical time interval between two such events.

Moreover, LIPs are caused by upwelling mantle plumes and there are now many evidences (like seismic tomography images) that such plumes still exist in the mantle (useful resource : [mantleplumes.org](https://www.mantleplumes.org/)). So eventually, one of those plumes will trigger a new LIP. It is true that, over a very long timescale, the ongoing cooling of Earth will lead to a less vigorous mantle convection, less magmatism and volcanism, until the planet will become geologically dead. But we are talking billions of years here.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Surprised Roland Emmerich hasn't got in on this one!  
> **username_4**: @Jean Will the planet reach "geologically dead" before the sun goes Red Giant?  
> **username_2**: @username_4 Good question!... that I can't really answer. I don't think there is a consensus on the matter. A quick search showed a study that predicts the end of plate tectonics in 1.45 billions years. But the end of plate tectonics doesn't mean the planet is dead; Mars, for instance, has less vigorous convection than Earth but is still considered active (see my answer here: https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/40949/34513). Even the Moon, which is in a "stagnant lid" state, had volcanic activity quite recently (< 100 Ma), geologically speaking.  

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