Photoferrotrophic Bacteria Initiated Plate Tectonics in the Neoarchean
Amazing suggestion: life may have triggered plate tectonics. “These researchers suggest that, about 2 1/2 billion years ago, bacteria caused iron to precipitate out of the oceans, depositing 1 km of heavy rock layers every million years, eventually punching through Earth’s crust and initiating the plate tectonic cycle. Since then, plate tectonics has helped to stabilize Earth’s climate.” (Via George Mussen)
(tags: papers bacteria life tectonics earth climate iron science geology)