They found a 600-million-year-old “time capsule” in the Himalayas containing key data on the evolution of the oceans.

Labatilla

August 15, 2024, 10:50 AM

A team of scientists has discovered water droplets trapped in mineral deposits that may have come from an ancient ocean that existed about 600 million years ago. Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Niigata University in Japan noticed the discovery hidden in the Himalayas and it holds clues to the evolution of the Earth.

by ABC

“We have found a time capsule of ancient oceans,” said Prakash Chandra Arya, a doctoral student at the Centre for Earth Sciences (CEaS) and the study’s first author, explaining that mineral deposits can contain valuable information about ocean conditions.

Scientists believe that between 700 and 500 million years ago, the Earth had thick layers of ice that covered it for a long time, which is known as the Snowball Earth glaciation.

Analysis of the sediments, which contain calcium and magnesium carbonates, also allowed the team to offer a possible explanation for the events that could have led to a major oxygenation event in Earth’s history. What followed was an increase in oxygen in the atmosphere, known as the Second Great Oxygenation Event. This moment led to the evolution and emergence of complex life forms.

But until now, scientists have not fully understood the exact relationship between these events, due to the scarcity of well-preserved fossils and the disappearance of ancient oceans. For this reason, the Himalayas, and their ancient marine rocks, will be a key point in providing some answers.

“We don’t know much about the oceans of the past,” Prakash said. “Were they very different or very similar to today’s oceans? Were they more acidic or basic, nutrient-rich or nutrient-deficient, warm or cold, and what was their chemical and isotopic composition?”

To continue reading, click here.