trillion tons of sulfur dioxide was also released. The carbon dioxide produced extreme greenhouse conditions, with global average sea water temperatures peaking at , the highest ever seen in the geologic record. Temperatures did not drop to for another 5.1 million years. Temperatures this high are lethal to most marine organisms, and land plants have difficulty continuing to photosynthesize at temperatures above . The Earth's equatorial zone became a dead zone. However, not all large igneous provinces are connected with extinction events. The formation and effects of a flood basalt depend on a range of factors, such as continental configuration, latitude, volume, rate, duration of eruption, style and setting (continental vs. oceanic), the preexisting climate, and the biota resilience to change. List of flood basalts Representative continental flood basalts and oceanic plateaus, arranged by chronological order, together forming a listing of large igneous provinces: Elsewhere in the Solar System Flood basalts are the dominant form of magmatism on the other planets and moons of the Solar System. The maria on the Moon have been described as flood basalts composed of picritic basalt. Individual eruptive episodes were likely similar in volume to flood basalts of Earth, but were separated by much longer quiescent intervals and were likely produced by different mechanisms. Extensive flood basalts may be present on Mars. Uses The interlocking crystals of flood basalts, which are oriented at random, make trap rock the most durable construction aggregate of all rock types. See also References External links Basalt Volcanic landforms Orogeny Volcanism Geological hazards Future problems Doomsday scenarios de:Trapp (Geologie) es:Trap (geología) fr:Trapp ka:ტრაპი kk:Трапп nn:Flaumbasalt pt:Trapp ru:Трапп sah:Трапп fi:Laakiopurkaus