Lost Antarctic mountains may have driven Cambrian life explosion
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Bei Chen and Ian Campbell, Earth scientists at the Australian National University, analysed zircon particles from Antarctica and proposed that ancient, eroded mountains there provided nutrients that spurred a rapid increase in life on Earth around 650 to 450 million years ago.
The researchers examined 1,712 zircon grains from 12 locations, using uranium-lead dating to determine their age.
They identified peaks in the ages of the particles that corresponded with the formation of the supercontinent Gondwana, suggesting massive mountains once existed in Antarctica. These mountains would have formed as landmasses collided during Gondwana’s assembly, creating ranges larger than the Himalayas. As the mountains eroded, they released phosphorus, iron, and carbonate, essential nutrients for early life.
The scientists believe increased nutrients at the base of the food chain boosted photosynthesis and atmospheric oxygen levels, creating conditions favorable for more complex organisms to evolve during the Cambrian explosion. The team acknowledged that the Cambrian explosion likely resulted from a combination of factors, and their theory offers a feasible explanation alongside others, such as the role of organic waste.
They suggest a correlation between this period of mountain building and the most dramatic period of evolution on Earth, though they stop short of claiming a definitive cause-and-effect relationship.
