Which massive volcanic rock formation is linked to the end-Permian extinction, sometimes called the Great Dying?

• The Deccan Traps
• The Siberian Traps
• Mount St. Helens

What best describes a large igneous province (LIP)?

• A single volcanic eruption that lasts a few days
• Huge floods of lava that build up over hundreds of thousands to millions of years
• An earthquake that cracks open the ocean floor

Volcanoes have only ever destroyed life on Earth and never helped create it.

Circle one:   True   False

The Deccan Traps erupted around 66 million years ago. Which major event happened around the same time?

• The end-Cretaceous extinction, when the dinosaurs died out
• The end-Permian extinction, the Great Dying
• The formation of the first hydrothermal vents

Huge volcanic eruptions release enormous amounts of CO2 into the air over thousands of years. Why does this make oceans more acidic?

• The ocean absorbs the extra CO2, which reacts with water to form acid
• Lava flows directly into the ocean and dissolves into acid
• Volcanic ash blocks sunlight, which turns water into acid

The chart shows the percentage of species lost in two mass extinctions. About how many more percentage points of species were lost in the end-Permian extinction than in the end-Cretaceous extinction?

Answer: ______________

Imagine a new large igneous province erupted for a million years, releasing huge amounts of CO2 into the air. What would scientists most likely expect for ocean life?

• Oceans would freeze solid within days
• Ocean life would be unaffected since oceans are so large
• More stress on shell-building and reef animals as the ocean turns more acidic

A classmate says, 'The Siberian Traps erupted all in one single day, like a bomb going off.' What is wrong with this claim?

• The eruptions actually lasted hundreds of thousands to millions of years
• The Siberian Traps never actually erupted
• The Siberian Traps were caused by an asteroid, not lava