The Late Ordovician (~459–444 million years ago) was characterized by global cooling, glaciation and severe mass extinction. These events may have been driven increased delivery of the nutrient phosphorus (P) to ocean associated increases in marine productivity, but it is not clear why this occurred two pulses identified geological record. We link both cooling phases—and extinction—to volcanic ...

Knowledge of the global rates volcanism is fundamental for modeling Earth, as those closely relate to plate tectonics, crustal growth, mantle dynamics, atmospheric evolution, climate change, and virtually any aspect Earth dynamics. In spite their huge relevance, have remained unknown, hidden within data that appeared disordered, largely fragmented incomplete, reflecting poor preservation small ...

Two major types of volcanic units, older regional plains and younger lobate plains, make up 50% of the surface of Venus and represent different epochs of volcanism. The abundance of impact craters partially embayed from the exterior by each of these two types of units permits the testing of the key points of the model of equilibrium resurfacing. The proportion of craters embayed by the older re...

We provide estimates of volcanism versus time for planets with Earth-like composition and masses 0.25 25 M⊕, as a step toward predicting atmospheric mass on extrasolar rocky planets. Volcanism requires melting of the silicate mantle. We use a thermal evolution model, calibrated against Earth, in combination with standard melting models, to explore the dependence of convection-driven decompressi...