Continental Flood Basalts

Flood basalt is formed by an eruption or series of eruptions of large volcanic episodes that cover vast stretches of land or ocean floor with flows of mafic igneous rocks (basalt lava flows). A flood-basalt province is popularly known as Trap (Deccan Traps in India). Some major flood basalts provinces are as follows –

Name	Approximate volume	Age	Location
CRB	1.7*105 km3	Miocene	Northwestern United States
Keeweenawan	4*105 km3	Precambrian	Lake Superior area
Deccan	8.6*106 km3	Cretaceous-Eocene	India
Parana	> 106 km3	Early Cretaceous	Brazil
Karroo	>2*106 km3	Early Jurassic	S. Africa
Siberian	3-5*105 km3	Late Permian – Early Triassic	Siberia