Orogenic quiescence in Earth's middle age.
Science
; 371(6530): 728-731, 2021 02 12.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33574211
ABSTRACT
Mountain belts modulate denudation flux and hydrologic processes and are thus fundamental to nutrient cycling on Earth's surface. We used europium anomalies in detrital zircons to track mountain-building processes over Earth's history. We show that the average thickness of active continental crust varied on billion-year time scales, with the thickest crust formed in the Archean and Phanerozoic. By contrast, the Proterozoic witnessed continuously decreasing crustal thickness, leaving the continents devoid of high mountains until the end of the eon. We link this gradually diminished orogenesis to the long-lived Nuna-Rodinia supercontinent, which altered the mantle thermal structure and weakened the continental lithosphere. This prolonged orogenic quiescence may have resulted in a persistent famine in the oceans and stalled life's evolution in Earth's middle age.
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1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Science
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China