According to a study by the University of Aberdeen, an unprecedented abundance of marine life some two billion years ago played an important role in the creation of mountains on Earth. But how is that possible?
Rock formations are generally associated with tectonic orogenic plate collisions, causing large rock plates to be pushed up. Various evidences mark the Paleoproterozoic as the time when mountain “building” began in a form that continues to this day.
However, the Paleoproterozoic was also characterized by a marked increase in biomass in the oceans, especially planktonic life, and thus by the burial of organic carbon in the Earth’s crust. When the plankton dies, it does fall to the bottom of the ocean and eventually forms graphite in the shale. This brings us back to a new study published in Communication of Earth Nature and Environment.
Soft crust
According to researchers at the University of Aberdeen, this graphite does play a key role in the formation of mountains. By softening the earth’s crust, it will benefit the breakdown of rocks into slabs. In the less than a hundred million years, most of the mountains, including the Rockies, Andes, Svalbard, Central Europe, Indonesia, and Japan, began to form in this disc. weakened crust.
« Great mountains formed about two billion years ago, nearly halfway through Earth’s history.“, recalls John Parnell, lead author of the study.” Although it has long been known that tectonic processes are lubricated, our research shows that the abundance of carbon in the oceans played an important role in crustal thickening, which eventually allowed the first chains to lift.«.
According to the authors, recent mountain ranges also follow a similar pattern. In other words, this new research shows that the key to mountain formation is none other than life, indicating that Earth and its biosphere are much more closely related than previously thought.
Another important point is pointed out by Dr Connor Brolly of the University of Glasgow and co-author of this work. ” Graphite buried in the Earth’s crust is in high demand for future green technologies, intended for use in elements such as fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries.. It is interesting to think that the two billion year old events that shape our universe today have the potential to play a key role in preserving it for future generations.«.
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