Caribbean large igneous province

The Caribbean large igneous province (CLIP) was a huge area of volcanic activity from a very long time ago. It created what we now call a large oceanic plateau in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The Caribbean-Colombian oceanic plateau is what remains of this ancient land today. You can see parts of it near the North American and South American plates.

The volcanic activity happened between 139 and 69 million years ago, mostly between 95 and 88 million years ago. Experts think the amount of volcanic rock was about 4 million cubic kilometers. Scientists believe this huge area of volcanic activity was linked to the Galápagos hotspot, a place deep in the Earth where magma rises to the surface.

This large igneous province is important for understanding Earth's history. It helps scientists learn about how continents and oceans change over millions of years. The flood basalt and volcanism left clues that help us understand how tectonic plates moved and what ancient lands and seas looked like. The large igneous province it created is a key part of Earth's geological story.

Proto-Caribbean Seaway

The landmasses of North America and South America began to move apart. This created new ocean floor near the coast of Colombia about 150 million years ago, during a time called the Jurassic. This movement continued until about 66 million years ago. It formed an early ocean pathway, called the proto-Caribbean, between the two landmasses. Later, a piece of Earth's crust, the Farallon Plate, moved under this pathway. This helped form a large underwater mountain range called the Great Caribbean Arch. The Farallon Plate eventually became what we now call the Caribbean Plate.

LIP formation

The Caribbean large igneous province (CLIP) formed from a huge area of thick ocean floor between the North American and South American plates. In some places, this ocean floor is two to three times thicker than usual. It measures between 15–20 km (9.3–12.4 mi) thick, compared to the normal 7 km (4.3 mi).

Evidence shows that a place called the Galápagos hotspot started CLIP’s formation about 95-90 million years ago in the eastern Pacific. It then moved northeast with the Farallon Plate until it met a volcanic area called the Greater Antilles about 60 million years later. Pieces of this journey can still be seen in underwater mountains along the Central American coast and in areas called the Cocos and Carnegie Ridges. Studies of rocks from both the Galápagos and CLIP match, showing they came from the same source deep in the Earth. The CLIP’s edges have been pushed up and now appear above sea level. It stretches about 2,500 km (1,600 mi) from east to west and 1,300 km (810 mi) from north to south. The CLIP formed in three main bursts of volcanic activity between 124–112 million years ago, 94–83 million years ago, and 80–72 million years ago. The youngest rocks are about 63 million years old and are found in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.