A recent study suggests that continental expansion in prehistoric times may have caused one of the worst climate change events on Earth. According to the British newspaper "Independent," researchers examined the effects of "tectonic forces" and volcanic eruptions on the environment around 56 million years ago. During this period, global temperatures increased by approximately 5 to 8 degrees Celsius, marking the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), which lasted for 170,000 years.
There has long been debate among scientists regarding the reasons for the significant temperature rise during this time, with discussions about potential catastrophic events such as meteor impacts. This extreme warming led to the extinction of various marine organisms and reshaped evolution on Earth. The study involved renowned earth scientists from the Universities of Southampton, Edinburgh, and Leeds in the UK.
The researchers stated that the extensive expansion of the northern hemisphere tectonic plates resulted in a significant reduction of pressure in the Earth's deep interior. As the pressure beneath the Earth decreased, a viscous layer of the planet became denser and stronger, leading it to break through the Earth's crust, causing reactions that increased warming.
The scientific team noted that volcanic activity could have contributed to significant carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Tom Greenon, a professor and researcher in Earth sciences at the University of Southampton, mentioned that despite the considerable role played by warming during this period, the fundamental cause of climate change remains a topic of debate. He added that scientists agree that a large and sudden emission of greenhouse gases and carbon from beneath the Earth's surface resulted in climate change, but that warming cannot be solely explained by volcanic reactions.
