Study Finds Antarctica's 650-Million-Year-Old Mountains Fed Oceans, Aiding Complex Life
Updated
Updated · Inshorts · Sep 20
Study Finds Antarctica's 650-Million-Year-Old Mountains Fed Oceans, Aiding Complex Life
3 articles · Updated · Inshorts · Sep 20
Summary
Ancient Antarctic mountains that existed roughly 650 million to 450 million years ago may have helped drive the rise of complex life, according to a new study.
The researchers say erosion and weathering of peaks possibly as high as the Himalayas released Phosphorus and iron into the oceans, changing marine chemistry.
Those nutrient flows likely created environmental conditions favorable for the expansion of more complex organisms, linking a major geological process to a biological turning point.