The term comes from the Swedish word "trappa," meaning stairs. This perfectly describes the stepped landscape created by multiple overlapping lava flows over time.

While the Chicxulub asteroid triggered the extinction 66 million years ago, toxic gases from these prolonged eruptions made ecosystems highly vulnerable.

Highly fluid basaltic lava seeped from deep fissures rather than a single peak. It spread across immense distances to build a flat, elevated landmass in western India.

These immense eruptions pumped billions of tons of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, triggering extreme global warming and ocean acidification.