Draft:Supermountain
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Supermountains were large mountain ranges comparable to the modern Himalayas in height, ~1,000 kilometres (620 mi) in width and about three to four times in length (~8,000 kilometres (4,970 mi) ) that formed twice in Earth's history, the first being the Nuna Supermountain which existed from 2 bya to 1.8 bya and the second being the Transgondwanan Supermountain which existed from 650 mya to 500 mya. Supermountains are thought to have played a major role in the evolution of life.[1][2][3]
Nuna Supermountain
[edit]
Temporal range of Nuna Supermountain:
The Nuna Supermountain existed from 2 bya to 1.8 bya on the supercontinent Nuna (Columbia), around the time of the first appearance of eukaryotes and macroscopic life.[4]
Impact on Life
[edit]Sustained erosion of the Nuna Supermountain may have been responsible for emergence of eukaryotes from prokaryotes and their diversification by providing the oceans with ample mineral nutrients.[5]
Interlude
[edit]The time period between these two supermountains (1.8 bya to 0.8 bya) is known as the boring billion during which the rate of evolution stagnated. This is believed to have happened due to nutrient dry up in the oceans caused by the absence of supermountains.[1][4]
Transgondwanan Supermountain
[edit]
Temporal range of Transgondwanan Supermountain:
The Transgondwanan Supermountain existed from 650 mya to 500 mya on the supercontinent Gondwana, coinciding with the first appearance of large animals 575 mya and the Cambrian explosion 538 mya.[4][6]
Effects on the Atmosphere
[edit]Erosion of the Transgondwanan Supermountain lasting for 260 million years at the minimum deposited more than 100 cubic kilometres (24 mi3) of sediment and led to the largest known increase of atmospheric O2 in Earth's history[6], releasing close to 100 times more oxygen by mass into the atmosphere (~9×1017 kg of O2 released) than the great oxidation event (~1016 kg of O2 released).[1][4][6][3]
Impact on Life
[edit]Erosion of the Transgondwanan Supermountain also enriched the oceans with nutrients such as phosphorus, iron, strontium, calcium and bicarbonate ions. Iron and phosphorus acted as essential nutrients leading to abundant food necessary for initiating the Cambrian explosion. Influx of calcium and bicarbonate ions led to an increased concentration of CaCO3 in the oceans, causing various species to develop shells, exoskeletons and internal skeletons around the same time. Algae also underwent diversification during this time period.[3][1][4][6][5]
See Also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Supermountains controlled the evolution of life on Earth | Australian National University". www.anu.edu.au. 2022-02-03. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- ↑ "Scientists discover lost range of 'supermountains' three times longer than the Himalayas". Live Science. 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- 1 2 3 Squire, R; Campbell, I; Allen, C; Wilson, C (2006-10-15). "Did the Transgondwanan Supermountain trigger the explosive radiation of animals on Earth?". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 250 (1–2): 116–133. Bibcode:2006E&PSL.250..116S. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2006.07.032.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Zhu, Ziyi; Campbell, Ian H.; Allen, Charlotte M.; Brocks, Jochen J.; Chen, Bei (2022-02-15). "The temporal distribution of Earth's supermountains and their potential link to the rise of atmospheric oxygen and biological evolution". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 580 117391. Bibcode:2022E&PSL.58017391Z. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117391. ISSN 0012-821X.
- 1 2 Saji, Nikitha S.; Rudnick, Roberta L.; Gaschnig, Richard M.; Millet, Marc-Alban (August 2023). "Titanium isotope evidence for the high topography of Nuna and Gondwana - Implications for Earth's redox and biological evolution". Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 615 118214. Bibcode:2023E&PSL.61518214S. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118214.
- 1 2 3 4 Campbell, Ian H.; Squire, Richard J. (August 2010). "The mountains that triggered the Late Neoproterozoic increase in oxygen: The Second Great Oxidation Event". Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 74 (15): 4187–4206. Bibcode:2010GeCoA..74.4187C. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2010.04.064. ISSN 0016-7037. Archived from the original on 2024-04-14.
