36-million-year geological cycle plays a crucial role in driving biodiversity (Copy)
Artist’s impression of Diluvicursor pickeringi in the rift valley of the Australian-Antarctic plate during the early Cretaceous – modern day Cape Otway, Victoria. Image: P. Trusler under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence]
NCRIS enabled scientists have unveiled a 36-million-year geological cycle that plays a crucial role in driving biodiversity. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and reported by the University of Sydney, sheds light on the intricate interplay between Earth's geological processes and the diversity of life on our planet.
“In terms of tectonics, the 36-million-year cycle marks alterations between faster and slower seafloor spreading, leading to cyclical depth changes in ocean basins and in the tectonic transfer of water into the deep Earth.
These in turn have led to fluctuations in the flooding and drying up of continents, with periods of extensive shallow seas fostering biodiversity.”
– Professor Dietmar Müller
Find out more in: Scientists discover 36-million-year geological cycle that drives biodiversity
Scientists, enabled by NCRIS infrastructure, have uncovered a 36-million-year geological cycle driving biodiversity, promising a deeper understanding of Earth's history and its impact on life.
AUTHOR
Philomena Manifold
FURTHER READING
The University of Sydney News
PEER-REVIEWED PAPER
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences – Earth’s interior dynamics drive marine fossil diversity cycles of tens of millions of years. Published online July 10, 2023.
AUTHORS
Slah Boulila
Shanan Peters
Dietmar Müller
Bilal U. Haq
LINKS
EarthByte Group
GPlates
