Editorial Notes: I probably have to address a thing that was mentioned a lot in the comments and that is the hypothesis that asteroid impacts have caused flood basalt eruptions. It usually goes something like: a large-body impact can trigger flood basalt volcanism antipodally (on the opposite site of the earth) because the seismic waves caused by the impact are focussed there. This hypothesis garnered attention in 90s when the mantle plume model wasn’t yet so widely accepted and before we knew much about the formation of these provinces. Since then, however, there wasn’t any major breakthrough or even progress in confirming this hypothesis. We don’t need an outside force to explain and model LIPs and to this day we haven’t found a single convincing example of a crater that can be linked to the formation of flood volcanism. The 3 most quoted crater from the comments are Bedout - which was originally dated to be around 250 mya and supposed to have caused the Siberian traps. This dating is however controversial and it probably isn’t even an impact crater. The Wilkes Land crater in Antarctica - which was also dated to be some 250 million years old - isn’t any more convincing either and the last serious papers making a connection between this theoretical impact crater and the end Permian extinction is I think from the late 90s. Lastly there is the Chicxulub impact which as we have discussed definitely didn’t cause the Deccan traps. Plus, it wasn’t even antipodal to begin with. That we havnt found any good examples isnt really surprising since models have shown that is very unlikely that the impact of even a large asteroid would be seismically powerful enough to cause such a phenomenon on its own. That’s why this hypothesis is seen (at best) as controversial today and why I didn’t talk about it in the video. But since this popped up so much in the comments I thought I still address it. The only hypothesis that is still discussed and backed at least by some evidence is that the Chicxulub impact worsened the Deccan traps volcanism based on the fact that some 70% of the lavas were expelled after the impact. This can of course simply be a coincidence but it’s also not hard to imagine that if there already was an enormous amount of magma trapped close to the surface produced by a mantle plume the seismic waves caused by a large impact could have certainly freed them. So this hypethesis is, I think, far easier to get behind.

i think people fail to realize 1 person did all the script, visials and voicing.

whoever is making the visuals for this is not getting paid nearly enough. *Appreciation intensifies*

“Asteroids certainly had a massive impact on this planet” Nice pun

I must admit that this video's quality is legit top notch, might even be better than those in documentary TV channels! I really love how neat and clean your map/visuals are.

"The exact processes are still up for heated debate." nice :D

It’s finally done ... Had to rewrite some parts a few time that’s why it took longer than usual. Technically I even have enough material for a third part but given that I’ve now done everything I originally wanted to do with this topic I think I’m going to leave it at that - for now.

As a geologist, this is really an amazing video.

Simply brilliant: as a now retired scientist intimately interested in LIP events, extinctions and the break-up of gondwana, you have (in my opinion) simply nailed it! Too often earth scientists appear to lose sight of the fundamentals of "cause & effect" and instead tend to support more exotic possibilities! Your breadth of knowledge across quite a number of different (but related) sciences is equally amazing! Cheers from Down Under and keep up the exceptionally great work.

Getting hit by asteroid, and then smoked by Deccan Traps eruption, bad day for dinosaur.

When i was kid, everytime 'Mass Extinction' mentioned in science show i thought it happens in few weeks/months. Now i understand it take hundreds or even thousands of years.

14:43 - I think you meant to say that "humans and all other animals alive today are the *_descendants_* of..." But the ending scene at 14:56 was ... thought-provoking.

Wow! Never occurred to me that Hawaii is a remnant of a mantle plume! And I was always under the impression Iceland is just a result of the Mid-Atlantic divergent boundary! Learning something new is nice :)

this makes me very curious about volcanism on other planets and moons. like mars with its 21km tall olympus mons, or io, the moon made of hellscape

I really appreciate the level of detail you've included for each geologic boundary event. This is one of the first times I've ever seen the pripyat-dnieper-donets rift or viluy traps mentioned outside of a textbook. You're an excellent science communicator!

Absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much for your hard work. As a child I wanted to become a vulcanologist, but got tripped-up by something easier to get into (in England) - electronics. I am in my late 50s now, but my interest in the Earth Sciences has never waned. You sir, are keeping my interest alive. I applaud your efforts. 💖

Human: I have "nuclear plumes" to change the earth Earth: hold my "plumes"

That was beautiful. Your animation production values are getting great. Thanks.

I am a geologist and this is the best video on the topic i have seen. Amazing!

So so so happy to see a video from you. Feels like it's been a long time since I last saw one so I'm guessing you took a break, which we all need as youtubers some times. Being able to get back to work and actually produce something after needing a pause is a huge deal, really happy and proud of you man

essentially all i learned is the earth has a giant omni directional lava lamp living in the center of it... and that is cosmically DOPE!

This is the first of your videos that I’ve seen and I’m quite impressed. Superb production quality and exquisite narration, thank you very much. Oh yeah, instantly subbed...now I have to go binge some more episodes.

It’s a shame that this channel doesn’t have at least one million subscribers. Great work mate, can’t wait for the next upload.

"the ancestors of the survivors" You mean descendants. But good video!

Absolutely brilliant! This is not my introduction to the concept of Mantle Plumes and flood basalts but the visual aids really help cement that knowledge. Something I had _not_ come across before and which does give me much pause for thought is the straight-line link between current-day 'hotspots' and flood bassalt provinces of the past. That is fascinating. The inevitable end result of this presentation is the consideration of where the next plume will strike--if it hasn't already and is merely right now making its way through the shockingly thin crust... I think these events are almost certainly a factor present in The Great Filter.

I was so happy to hear your channel get a mention and *lots* of appreciation today in a hot spot lecture on another channel I love (Nick Zentner).

I discovered your channel through the first video, and 3 minutes in I was already subscribed. The video quality is incredible, graphics are relevant and useful for understanding the technical figures from the narration. Really great stuff!

As a second year Geology student, I can safely say you have done a fantastic job producing this video essay, keep it up!

"The Bend" in the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain is heavily debated and often more cited as a consequence of the collision of India and Asia, and not as much the moving of the hotspot

I love smart people who’re able to make complex subjects easy to understand for dummies like me 🤪 Keep up the brilliant work

This is the best science channel for covering science that is not commonly known or talked about on YT. Graphics that truly illustrate, as well, make it a real favorite.

The visually clearest explanation of this process that I've seen....well done, and thank you!

As a geologist and map maker, I really enjoy your videos! Well presented and well illustrated.

Holy shit, this is so we'll made! I'm super impressed. Like it's really rare for me to be this impressed by a video. The graphics, info and narrating is damn impressive! Smashed that sub button!

I've spent the last several weeks learning about magma and the formation of plates, mountains, etc, and this video explains much of what I learned, and then some! An excellent overview of the subject.

Normal human here with 101 geology class. Love that you could simplify a complicated process without talking down to us. I am fascinated with geology, especially volcanology. Yellowstone started the interest. Thank you

You're telling me The Great Dying was what caused the plates to split? You, sir, have earned a like. I've always been astonished by the power of that extinction event.

YT: **recommends this** Me: "This is not the year."

Just discovered this channel, and oh my it is brilliant! Your voice is amazing, and very relaxing. Will definitely spread this channel around, keep up the outstanding quality of the videos!

Confirming several of my thoughts and dispelling others. Into the bargain the presentation is first class. My thanks squire.

These should be played for people in education, very informative, interesting and entertaining.

"The exact processes are still subject to heated debate." Ah-heh-heh-heh. I see what you did there.

I love all of your vidoes! Besides the fact that you present complex topics in simple enough terms for the every day person to understand, the visuals are well done and the videos are always interesting even when glossing over seemingly less interesting material. I cant wait for your next one ;)

One of the better prepared material in this matter on UKposts. Thank you.

Bro your accent really makes me feel like Im listening to an actual college professor.

"You're just wasting time" "No dude, I NEED to learn about mantle plumes... otherwise, how will I know?"

EXQUISITE quality of production, design and writing! I especially appreciated those few hidden puns :-) You deserve all the success you have!

There's an amazing theory out there which is fast gaining evidence that the Chicxulub impact might have actually been directly responsible for the huge scale of the eruptions in the Deccan traps. The eruptions were happening there long before the asteroid impact, but only after that did it become the largest flood basalt in history, second only to the Siberian traps. There seems to be a period of dramatic jumps in eruption rates right at the KT boundary, which if true would rule out coincidence very thoroughly for the two events. When the asteroid hit, it's said to have "rang the earth like a bell" with an earthquake of magnitude 10 or more everywhere on the planet. This would be more than enough set off volcanoes all around the globe, not just in the Deccan traps, and there is indeed some studies that claims of this happening along oceanic ridges at the time. Either way, it just makes sense that there was some sort of causal connection between the 2 events. Because if it wasn't, then the dinosaurs were just uncannily unlucky to have had 2 catastrophic events line up perfectly for them to experience at the same time. Perhaps if the asteroid never hit then the eruptions would've died down and it would've just been another smaller scale flood basalt that life wouldn't be dented significantly by at all. Maybe if the Asteroid hit at a time when the eruptions weren't happening, then we would only get very small borderline mass extinction that wouldn't have been strong enough to kill off all the non avian dinosaurs. It'll be awesome to see what studies into this actually turn up in the next few years.

2020 isn't finished and I'm getting recommended videos on volcanoes....

Man, these Facts in Motion videos are so good. Good educational content, excellent graphics and video quality, good sound - top notch production all around.

Another channel that teaches us more in 16 minutes than our school teachers manage to do in years. Thank you so much for this terrific video. Keep up the good work.

FiM: **uploads** Me: DROP EVERYTHING!

Volcanoes: We’ve been linked to all the mass extinctions! Humans: Hold our beers.

I love you! You explain everything concisely yet thoroughly, and the visuals are to the point and detailed informationally.

Am on a bit of a binge, letting your vids auto play. Very well done, and informative!

I'd love to see you make more videos about paleontology and geology in general. There a chance we could get a video on the process of fossilization in the future?

Thanks for the very succinct delivery. I live over a subduction zone with imposing dormant volcanoes in 3 directions from my home. The edge of a rather recent large igneous province is is within 200 km. I found this production fascinating.

Outstanding work and visualization my friend! Keep it up so i can learn more :)

This series was your greatest work so far. Amazing!

The flood basalt that covers Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and two other African countries was missing and was considered a very large spill that was not mentioned in the video.

14:30 - 14:40 - that was a beautiful transition!

What an incredible video. It's not easy to take such a complex topic and explain it in a way that still retains much of the nuance while remaining accessible to intelligent but non-geologist audiences. Presentation of various hypotheses and theories shed light into the scientific state of the field and what is still left to better understand. Moreover the narrative structure, of starting with the Siberian traps example in Part 1 and then moving on to illustrate their cause, relationship with hotspots, and correlation with extinction events in Part 2, kept me engaged with one "no way!" revelation after another. I can't believe the animation is done by the same person who researches and writes the script!

This is a very expertly made episode. Especially the graphics, tables and illustrations are very well made, easy to understand and show the underlying correlations very nicely. I like to congratulate you for these visual aids!

Well researched! Excellent presentation... this video rises up, and delivers "explosive" content... a truly "groundbreaking" portrayal... of this important and historically significant earth process. What a "solid" presentation!! Well grounded 👍😉

So much for "Death from Above" as well as the concept of "Standing on Solid Ground"!

Really enjoy the content you put out. I just hope for more frequent uploads. Either way you have my support!

Such an excellent presentation of our understanding of the geologic clues Earth sciences have gathered. Particularly that the largest last 5 major extinctions chronologically align perfectly with extreme vulcanism events. Thank you for your work putting this wonderful series together. Subbed.

Best video on trapps I've ever seen. I'm from Russia - not from the Siberian part though - and it amazed me how we still don't know where the hotspot that caused the eruption had gone. I like to watch asmr and science videos to fall asleep, but this one kept me wide awake because it's so interesting. I also like your voice))

I love the Walking with Dinosaurs reference at the end with the cynodonts

I was about to subscribe to the channel for such a good video but realized I was already subbed - good job.

This channel is so cool... Can't wait for your next video, I'm sure it will be great as usual!

Why you don't have 1 million subs yet with this info and production quality I'll never know.

I as a geologist approve of this video! Keep up the good work.

Your videos are some of the best quality videos on youtube, thank you for your continued work!!

This is so well explained and shown. Thank you for this great Video! Really appreciated!

"Heated debate" "Deeper Origins" Important impact"

12:30 although a lava province no longer exists "looks at Hawaiian hotspot"

Something about that intro screams Kurzgesagt... ...the visuals, the editing, the script... You're not the only one who can't get enough of it.

Real thanks to make such quality video and make me understand the concept. This will help me further in Geomorphology and Geodynamics. Thanks again ❤️❤️

Imagine if a supervolcano erupted right now, most of us would die and the few thousand people that would have to repopulate the earth would be left with literally too much knowledge to spread again, so much would be lost...

I am surprised by the amount and quality of information in the video. This is one of the best on this topic. I live near the Ural mountains and there are sometimes small earthquakes here. A couple of years ago it was near the city of Chelyabinsk (yes, this is the city where the meteorite fell, lol). I could not understand for what reason these earthquakes were. Now it is clear, holy shit..., below us is the remnant of the plume that caused the most massive extinction.

This is awesome, very high quality content! Keep it up! and Thank you!

Thank you this was an incredibly interesting video! Keep up the good work!

How to freak New Yorkers out with a thumbnail.

Love this planet! Its so amazing complex and beautiful. A jewel in a ocean of darkness.

the quality of this video and the depth of the information must be among the best of the best there is around, loved it!

Your teaching style is what I have needed for so long. Thank you for all you do.

So what I’ve learned is: don’t throw ice cubes in lava

Ah yes, I too like learning more about "earth's pimples" lol

By far the most refreshing educational connect I've seen for a while

This is a very well made explanation video, thanks for the hard work man..

I was actually wondering if this video would ever come, and it just so happens to come out 20 minutes afterwards. Coincidence? Maybe. Hotel? Trivago.

"This is still a heated debate" Nice pun

Brilliant job - thank you for making and sharing

If this convinces one child to pursue a career in geological sciences then you've succeeded. Excellent presentation.

"The exact processes are of course still subject to HEATED debate" No kidding :D

These eruptions give me the same sence of impending horror as H. P. Lovecraft stories, except this is worse because it can and will happen again.

IMO the best presentation of Mantle Plume events over the last 450 million years. Worth watching both parts!

This video made me instantly subscribe :) Very interesting and well explained!

Me: listening to music from my favorite artist Also me seeing this video: Hold my beer