Could our ancient Earth be ticking like a musical clock? Researchers from various disciplines, including those from the CNRS, have published a study suggesting that there is a 60-million-year cycle based on the geology of our blue planet.
Understanding Earth’s Geological History
Before delving deeper into this theory, it’s essential to grasp the geological time scale. This framework is based on analyzing the eras, periods, and epochs in Earth’s geological history. Smaller than an epoch, a stage lasts several million years and is determined by the presence of fossils within rock layers. Some species existed for only a limited time, and finding their fossils in sedimentary layers helps date those layers. The rise and fall of species correlates with environmental changes, such as the extinction of the dinosaurs, which is linked to geological or geodynamic processes. Events like volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and earthquakes are external repercussions of Earth’s internal movements that drive biodiversity changes over a span of 60 million years.
Correlating Tectonic and Biological Cycles
Macroscopically, we are currently in the Phanerozoic Eon, which began 541 million years ago. Divided into eras, periods, epochs, and stages, this eon may reflect a repeated cycle of 60 million years, according to a scientific study published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment. This research posits that an internal geological clock governs significant upheavals on Earth. Notably, the researchers found that the Phanerozoic can be segmented into biological and tectonic cycles, both of which are interconnected. A cycle of extinction every 60 million years appears to coincide with the rates of subduction (the descent of an oceanic plate beneath another plate) and accretion (the rise of magma at mid-ocean ridges). During accretion, ocean ridges release gases and alter ocean chemistry. The warmer, more humid climate enhanced by CO2 from tectonic activity also leads to the weathering of continental rocks and an influx of nutrients into oceans. Thus, increased tectonic activity diminishes oceanic oxygen levels while elevating hydrogen sulfide, influencing shallow marine habitats.
Extinctions Every 60 Million Years?
Variations in oxidation-reduction conditions indicate a transformation in biodiversity, reflecting paleo-environmental changes. This observation has led researchers to conclude that the 4.5 billion-year-old Earth adheres to 60-million-year cycles dictated by an internal geological clock. Can this theory be applied to all eons? The oldest known fossil, a microfossil of a fungus from southern China dating back 635 million years, does not provide enough evidence for scientists to verify this theory for eons preceding the Phanerozoic. What do you think about this theory?
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