Overview

Does tectonic activity have a bigger role on the diversity of life than we previously thought?


Earth as we know it today is not what was millions of years ago. The reasoning behind our continually changing earth is still being questioned. Are the tectonic plates we live on partly responsible for massive shifts within the earths systems?

We know that tectonics are responsible for the extension and compression of earths crust, they build mountain belts, open up large sedimentary basins, create deep-sea trenches and volcanic arcs. The dynamic topographic and climatic change caused by tectonics expands the environmental niches available for species to specialise into. Thus there is an undeniable link between the biosphere, atmosphere, and the geosphere.

There has been significant diversification of organisms since the discovery of the Prokaryotes (oldest known fossils) found in the Precambrian Era (about 340 BA) to complex multicellular organisms. Change is vital for evolution to take place. To accomplish this, constant tectonic movement such as building and destroying topography help to ensure that the environment is dynamic and thus ever changing. Tectonics not only provides different environments for organisms to inhibit but also recycles nutrients from the pedosphere and the atmosphere through subduction. This could be key in the replenishment of nutrients to the top surface that supports the basic chemistry of all life. Could tectonics then consequently be necessary to sustain life?

Over the next few weeks we will look at large changes/events that have changed the face of Earth in order to determine whether tectonics have played a crucial role in the creation of such a diverse animal kingdom.

Josephine Turnbull & Rosie Hebden