Over the last 30 years considerable research efforts have been directed toward understanding the context and nature of environmental changes that occurred immediately prior to, at, and after the five major Phanerozoic mass extinctions. Actually, earth volcanic activity linked to LIPS is one of the two leading scenarios proposed to explain the pattern of mass extinctions in the Phanerozoic, the other involving asteroid impacts However, the actual mechanisms by which either impacts or LIP eruptions can induce mass extinction remain controversial. This session will provide a platform to evaluate the current records of volcanism and impacts and associated environmental changes across Earth’s major mass extinction events.