The cycle of geological activity and the extinction of animals on Earth has been discovered

New research shows that what on our planet 27.5 million years There is an increase in geological activity, an increase in the number of volcanic eruptions, a realignment of tectonic plates, an increase in sea level, as well as mass extinctions. However, it is still not known what forces could cause such catastrophic events.

“Many geologists believe that geological events are random in time,” he said. Michael RampinoNYU geologist and lead author of the study in a 2021 statement.

The author of the research adds: “Our study Provides statistical evidence for a combined cyclesuggesting that these geological events are interconnected rather than random.”

The research team conducted detailed analyzes Eighty-nine known geological events from the last 260 million years.

It turned out that some periods in the past on our planet were very difficult – it was noted, for example, that in the period from about 75 to 50 million years ago, they were catastrophic “pulses“There were scores on a global scale.

Many of the events analyzed for her causal natureThat is, one event causes another to occur. The resulting results could be like this example anaerobic conditions In the omnipotence of what causes Extinction of marine animals. In turn, anaerobic conditions could be the result of numerous volcanic eruptions that were awakened by the increased geological activity of the planet.

“These periodic pulsations of tectonics and climate change It may be the result of geophysical processes related to the dynamics of plate tectonics and mantle plumes, or alternatively it could be accelerated by astronomical cycles related to Earth motions in the solar system and galaxy,” the team wrote in their paper published in Earth science frontiers.

Another reason for the 27.5 million cycle could be comet effects And other celestial bodies, or even close to the Earth, the so-called Planets X.

The next “impulse” is to be expected In about 20 million yearsSo we can sleep well.

“heart beat“Our planet would no longer be as amazing as we saw in the movie ‘2012’, where continents collided within an hour, or new mountain ranges the size of the Himalayas formed. Such changes can take thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years.