What Is a Volcano?
Origin of Large Igneous Provinces: The importance of a definition
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Published:August 01, 2010
In the original definition of a Large Igneous Province (LIP) much emphasis was put on the “extraordinary” character of these provinces. Such emphasis might have contributed to bias the form in which these provinces are commonly visualized, and consequently has contributed to the selective acceptance of genetic models. To avoid such bias, in this chapter the various available definitions are examined, taking into consideration the rules of logic that help us to avoid fallacies. From these definitions, the most critical parameters are identified, and an alternative model of formation of LIPs is advanced. The model developed here envisages LIPs as an extreme of a continuum in volcano-magmatic processes that are produced by essentially the same underlying processes. The differences between LIPs and non-LIPs are conceived as the result of different conditions present in a particular region, but that nonetheless have nothing extraordinary. Although the model developed here is one of several possible alternatives, by having identified the most common fallacies surrounding a LIP, even from its very definition, it might be possible to assess those alternative models in a more equilibrated form in future works.