The Mesozoic, perhaps the longest period of warmth during the Phanerozoic Earth history,
has been repeatedly affected by short‐lived cold interludes lasting about one million years.
While the origin of these cold snaps has been classically attributed to a temporary
atmospheric CO2 drawdown, quantified mechanisms explaining these instabilities of the
carbon cycle are still lacking. Based on a climate carbon cycle model, we show that the
general demise of carbonate platforms accompanying these short‐lived cold interludes is a …