Evidence of catastrophic geology: Case 9

"Large Igneous Provinces".  You probably have not heard of this term before.  They are defined as short duration events (i.e. catastrophes) during which large volumes of magma (lava) were produced and placed.  In 2013, a team of scientists from the University of Houston reported confirming finding the largest volcano on earth under the ocean east of Japan.  The volcano was named the "Tamu Massif" (Texas A and M University, where the lead researcher started the study 20 years prior).  The volcano is a part of the Shatsky Rise underwater mountain range and is a "shield volcano" (sides formed by magma).

The unusual shape of the lava deposit - low and broad - qualifies it as a large igneous province.  Most volcanoes that erupt under water are small with steep sides.  The broad and flat shape, however, indicates that the molten lava erupted at such an enormous rate that it traveled rapidly across the ocean floor for a long distance before it could solidify (i.e. very fast).  Lava cools due to exposure to the seawater and hardens to igneous rock.

Large igneous provinces are widespread across the planet and are evidence of a catastrophic period beyond what we can imagine.

As reported by the Univ. of Houston:

"By integrating several sources of evidence, including core samples and data collected on board the JOIDES Resolution research ship, the authors have confirmed that the mass of basalt that constitutes Tamu Massif did indeed erupt from a single source near the center."

The lava flows spread for hundreds of miles relatively rapidly, and the massif covers 120,000 square miles.

Seismic refraction data and coring data appear to indicate that some of the lava flow layers (singular events) were 75 feet thick (i.e. 75 feet of deposition in a matter of days or weeks for each event).