Question

Which of the following is NOT true about flood basalts?

1) They cover large areas and contain huge volumes of magma
2) They cover much of the Columbia Plateau of the Pacific Northwest
3) They are fed from large interconnected composite volcanoes
4) Some flood basalts erupted at about the same time as major extinctions of species

Answer 1

Flood basalts cover large areas and contain huge volumes of magma. They are associated with eruptions from long cracks in the Earth's crust rather than composite volcanoes.

Step-by-step explanation:

Flood basalts are a type of volcanic eruption that cover large areas and contain huge volumes of magma. They are not, however, fed from large interconnected composite volcanoes. Instead, flood basalts are associated with eruptions from long cracks in the Earth's crust, known as fissures. These eruptions occur when lava flows rapidly and spreads out to form lava plains. The Columbia Plateau of the Pacific Northwest is indeed an area where flood basalts can be found. And it is also true that some flood basalts erupted at about the same time as major extinctions of species, such as the Deccan basalts in India coinciding with the extinction of the dinosaurs.