Caribbean large igneous province

The Caribbean large igneous province (CLIP) was a huge area of volcanic activity that happened 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 exposed on the edges near the North American and South American plates.

The volcanic activity that formed this plateau happened between 139 and 69 million years ago, with most of it occurring between 95 and 88 million years ago. Experts think the volume of this ancient volcanic rock was around 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 very important for understanding Earth's history because it helps scientists learn about how continents and oceans change over millions of years. The flood basalt and volcanism from this time left behind clues that help us piece together the movement of tectonic plates and the shape of ancient lands and seas. 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, creating new ocean floor near the coast of Colombia by the end of a time called the Jurassic, about 150 million years ago. This movement continued until about 66 million years ago and formed an early ocean pathway, called the proto-Caribbean, between the two landmasses. Later, another piece of Earth's crust, the Farallon Plate, began to move under this pathway, changing it and helping to form a large underwater mountain range known as 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 as 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, measuring 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, making it special among ocean plateaus. 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.