Washington, Mar 19 (ANI): Cyclical activity below the Earth's surface does indeed play a part in rising sea levels and global warming, a new study has found.
However, the article's authors, New York University's Michael Rampino and Carleton University's Andreas Prokoph, note that changes spurred by the earth's interior are gradual, taking place in periods ranging from 60 million to 140 million years-far less rapidly than those brought on by human activity.
Rampino and Prokoph's analysis considers long-term fluctuations in global climate, diversity of marine organisms, and sea level changes, aiming to identify a unifying cause for these changes.
While much scientific study has centered on phenomena above the earth's crust, less attention has historically been paid to changes deep inside our planet.
In recent years, however, researchers have examined the upwelling of mantle plumes-the rising up of heated rocks from earth's mantle that reach the earth's surface.
These plumes have a notable impact on one geologic occurrence - the eruption of large igneous provinces (LIPs), which are large accumulation of rocks formed from congealed lava.
In their analysis of recent scientific findings, Rampino and Prokoph observe that mantle plumes coincide with cyclical surface changes, suggesting that the plumes themselves may be cyclical in nature.
For example, Prokoph's previous research has found that many geological changes had cycles of 60 and 140 million years and suggested the cyclical uprising of these plumes to form hotspots-areas on the earth's surface where volcanic activity has endured.
More broadly, the researchers wrote, mantle plumes push up against the earth crust, shifting water to continents, thereby producing sea-level rise, and precipitating volcanic activity, which produces additional CO2, leading to a warmer climate.
The study is published in Eos, a newspaper published by the American Geophysical Union. (ANI)
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