Life in ancient oceans enabled by erosion from land

Science Daily ^ | 9/28/2016 | University of Wisconsin-Madison

[JimSEA]

As scientists continue finding evidence for life in the ocean more than 3 billion years ago, those ancient fossils pose a paradox. Organisms, including the single-celled bacteria living in the ocean at that early date, need a steady supply of phosphorus, but "it's very hard to account for this phosphorus unless it is eroding from the continents," says Aaron Satkoski, a scientist in the geoscience department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "So that makes it really hard to explain the fossils we see at this early era."

Satkoski, who is first author of a new report on ocean chemistry from this remote period, says the conventional wisdom of geology has envisioned an oceanic planet, with little or no land above the waves. "Starting back in the 1960s, for various reasons people claimed there was very little continental mass, and so there wasn't enough weathering to affect the chemistry of the ocean. But there wasn't much real data from more than 3 billion years ago to support that."

Discoveries of fossil remains of bacteria from over 3 billion years ago have changed that picture, says Satkoski. "But if there was life in the ocean, you need some amount of continental weathering taking place to deliver phosphorus so the organisms can live."

The major influences on ocean chemistry today are hydrothermal flow (hot water that has circulated through the crust) and surface weathering (the river transport of material eroded from land into the ocean).

[JimSEA]

This really pushes the idea of plate tectonics back. There is plenty of phosphorus in continental mountains of granite. A acidic rain from a CO2 heavy atmosphere could take that phosphorus into the ocean and such an atmosphere could keep enough heat from a weak sun to have liquid oceans. Life prospered in those shallow oceans with plenty of run off from ancient continents.

Interesting article.

[the_boy_who_got_lost]

Or alternatively “In the beginning God created”...

=)

[lepton]

And phosphorus is required for ADP/ATP.

[UCANSEE2]

Don’t volcanoes give off phosphorus ?

There are at least 10 times as many volcanoes below surface than above.

[sagar]

So, erosion = good for life.
Trees = prevent erosion.
So, naturally, trees prevent what is good for life.
Start chopping down trees. Trees must come down! For life. For our pale blue dot.

[onedoug]

Robert Hazen, "The Story of Earth: How Life and Rocks Co-Evolved"

Excellent lecture.

Personally, I believe Torah as well.

[JimSEA]

Haden is one of my heros. He explains this with great clarity.

[JimSEA]

I don’t know exactly what that chemistry would be. Erosion would be more widespread and even I’d think. Volcanos certainly are a source as you say.

[angryoldfatman]

Dirt.

[JimSEA]

That’s all there is. It’s just what it’s made out of.

[angryoldfatman]

You’re a dirtbag.

[JimSEA]

Genesis 3:19 (King James Version): In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

[angryoldfatman]

Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat’s right, dirtboy.

Pigpen for Prez 2016