THE EARLY EOCENE CLIMATIC OPTIMUM DRIVEN BY LINZIZONG SILICIC LARGE IGNEOUS PROVINCE IN TIBET
Seminars
Semester 1
2025 – now: Post-doctoral Fellow, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
2023 – 2024: Visiting Ph.D. student, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
2020 – 2025: Ph.D., Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
2016 – 2020: B.Sc. in Resource Exploration Engineering, Jilin University, China.
The Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO) is the warmest interval of the Cenozoic, presenting a critical analogue for understanding contemporary global warming. However, the mechanisms driving this prolonged greenhouse climate remain obscure. Here, we integrate geochronology, geochemistry, volume reconstruction, and decarbonation evaluation of the Linzizong volcanic rocks in southern Tibet to assess its role in EECO climate dynamics. Our data show that these silicic eruptions reached the scale of a silicic large igneous province (SLIP), with a total volume of ~277,000 km³ and a main eruptive phase (~52–50 Ma) coinciding with the EECO. Geochemical proxies and modeling suggest that volcanic CO₂ emissions, coupled with the thermal decomposition of overlying carbonate strata, released sufficient isotopically heavy CO₂ to account for observed carbon cycle perturbations. These findings demonstrate that SLIPs, like their basaltic counterparts, can drive significant and prolonged climate upheavals, underscoring their underappreciated role in deep-time greenhouse events.