The Early Jurassic was subject to major disturbances in the global carbon cycle, associated with the emplacement of the Karoo-Ferrar large igneous province (LIP). These perturbations are recorded in the carbon-isotope composition of terrestrial and marine organic matter and carbonate as carbon-isotope excursions. Karoo-Ferrar intrusive and extrusive volcanism is thought to have been the primary driver of massive ecological and environmental disturbances including pulsed releases of isotopically light carbon into the atmosphere, global warming, oceanic anoxia, intensified wildfire activity and weathering, methane clathrate dissociation, and possibly iron fertilization of the oceans. Although significant research has been conducted on the Early Jurassic marine record, there are significant gaps in our understanding of the terrestrial response close to the main LIP. Here, we propose to examine continental sediments and fossil plants from Argentina, Tasmania, and South Africa to elucidate on environmental and ecological responses due to LIP activity.
