Prolonged Sturtian Global Glaciation Sustained by the Emplacement of the 700-694 Ma Olumi-Sumbi Large Igneous Province

: The Sturtian Snowball Earth episode (ca. 717–660 Ma) represents the longest and most extreme glaciation in Earth history, yet the mechanisms sustaining its exceptional ca. 57 Myr duration remain debated. We present new high‑precision ID‑TIMS U–Pb baddeleyite ages of 700.6 ± 9.5 Ma for the Olumi dyke (Gabon) and 694.0 ± 2.0 Ma for the Sumbi sill (Democratic Republic of Congo), together with paleomagnetic data from the Olumi Dyke Swarm. These results define a previously unrecognized 700–694 Ma Olumi–Sumbi Large Igneous Province (LIP) across the greater Congo Craton. The preliminary virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) points to a low-latitude setting, supporting an equatorial position of the Congo Craton and connected São Francisco Craton during the emplacement of the Olumi–Sumbi LIP. Correlation with coeval magmatism in Laurentia (e.g., the ca. 685 MaGataga–Edwardsville event) and the São Francisco Craton (the ca. 732–676 Ma Southern Bahia Alkaline Province) indicates repeated pulse of this Cryogenian magmatism. The equatorial position of these LIPs may have led to strong climatic forcing via tropical weathering of basalts, resulting in efficient atmospheric CO2 drawdown and nutrient‑driven ocean fertilization. Together with transient volcanic aerosol forcing, syn-glacial carbon sinks and nonlinear climate sensitivity to CO2 likely amplified pCO2drawdown and contributed to prolonged Sturtian glaciation. We propose that the emplacement of low-latitude LIPs (including the ca. 717 Ma Franklin and 700–694 Ma Olumi–Sumbi LIPs) played a critical role not only in initiating but also in sustaining prolonged Sturtian Snowball conditions through coupled atmospheric, oceanic and continental feedbacks. The newly identified ca. 700–694 Ma Olumi–Sumbi LIP provides a key constraint for further understanding the Sturtian Snowball Earth episode and the dynamics of Cryogenian climate evolution.