- Buddhism (/ˈbʊdɪzəm/ BUU-dih-zəm, US also /ˈbuːd-/ BOOD-), also known as Buddha Dharma, Bauddha and Dharmavinaya (transl. “doctrines and disciplines”), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in present-day North India as a śramaṇa–movement in the 5th century BCE, and gradually spread throughout much of Asia via the Silk Road. It is the world’s fourth-largest religion, with over 520 million followers (Buddhists) who comprise seven percent of the global population.
- Columbia River Basalt Group Stretches from Oregon to Idaho (usgs.gov)
The thick, layered lava flows of the CRBG erupted as flood basalts, which originate as some of the most highly effusive eruptions in the world. The CRBG sequence a classic example of flood basalt activity that erupted more than 350 lava flows from about 16.7 Ma to 5.5 Ma. The eruptions originated from a series of generally north-northwest-trending linear fissures, ranging from tens to hundreds of kilometers in length, located along the Washington/Oregon/Idaho border. The magma that fed these massive eruptions may have come from a plume-like upwelling from the mantle called a hot spot. Since the time of the CRBG eruptions, the North American plate has moved in a west-southwestwardly motion, and that hot spot is now believed to reside beneath Yellowstone volcano in northwest Wyoming.