The Volcanic Eruption That Covered One Third of Australia

Over half a billion years ago, northern and western Australia were engulfed by a cataclysmic volcanic event that reshaped the continent and may have driven one of the first great extinction events in Earth’s history. Known as the Kalkarindji Large Igneous Province, this ancient eruption flooded more than two million square kilometres of land with molten basalt, releasing vast amounts of volcanic gases into the atmosphere. In this article, we explore how the Kalkarindji eruption began, how it spread across Gondwana, and how it changed the planet’s climate and life forever.