Scientists have discovered that the forces that created our planet's mountains got some help. Their research shows that some of Earth's greatest ranges got a boost from primitive lifeforms whose remains lubricated movements of rock slabs allowed them to pile up to form mountains.
Scientists at Aberdeen and Glasgow universities say that the surface of our planet would have been flatter if life had not existed.
Professor John Parnell of Aberdeen University said that mountains are formed by slabs of rock piling up.
The scale would have been impossible to pile on because of the rocks. Something had to help the rocks slide together.
The source of lubrication came from an explosion in the growth of primitive plankton around two billion years ago, according to Parnell and his colleagues. This happened in the wake of a major change in the weather that affected Earth.
Plankton are plants that are found at the base of the marine food chain and are vital to the health of ocean life today. Two billion years ago, their influence on our planet was even greater. When they died, they were buried to make a rock with unprecedented amounts of carbon, which was turned into graphite by heat and pressure.
Graphite is a great lubricant. He said that locks, hinges and zips move more easily with graphite.
Two billion years ago, it lubricated the mountain ranges. The rocks were pushed together by the plates and the plankton laid down allowed the slabs to slide over each other and build higher and higher piles. The results were mountain ranges.
The discovery shows that the interaction of geological forces and life on Earth was a two-way process. The ocean was created for life's emergence and evolution.
Parnell and his colleagues have shown that the reverse was also true. The geology of our planet was influenced by life on Earth. Parnell said that Earth and its biosphere are linked in ways not previously understood.
The mountains that were made two billion years ago can still be seen in the ranges of China, North America, and Greenland. Evidence for ancient lubricating of tectonic processes can be seen in north-west Scotland in Harris, Tiree and Gairloch.
The co-author of the study said that the impact of graphite is likely to continue in the near future. Graphite is in high demand for future green technology, for use in items such as fuel cells and batteries.
The two-billion-year-old event, which was responsible for shaping our natural world, now has the potential to play a key role in its preservation for future generations.
The plankton that died two billion years ago did more than help build the world's first mountains. They could help save the planet in the future.
