The Gaian Theory Essay, Research Paper
Introduction
Continental drift is the theory that the positions of the earth’s continents have moved considerable distances throughout geologic time. A German meteorologist, by the name of Alfred Wegener, proposed the first comprehensive theory of continental drift in 1912. He based it on the way the continents fit together on the opposing Atlantic coasts as well as the paleontology correlation on both sides of the Atlantic. The theory he proposed, stated that, 200 million years ago there was one large continent, or supercontinent, called Pangaea; Pangaea split into two large landmasses called, Laurasia and Gondwanaland.(Plummer 460)
During the Mesozoic era, Laurasia and Gondwanaland broke apart in some areas and drifted further away from their previous positions In this process, the Earth’s rotation caused horizontal alterations in the granite continents floating on the sea of the basaltic ocean floors. The frictional drag along the leading edges of the drifting continents created mountains. Wegener’s theory met controversy until 1954, when British geophysicists seeking to explain the phenomenon of polar wandering revived it. (Plummer 460)
Around the same time that geologists were again becoming interested in the idea of moving continents, a geologist at Princeton University, by the name of Harry Hess came up with the theory of sea floor spreading in 1962. Hess’s theory states that the sea floor moves away from the mid-oceanic ridge as a result of mantle convection. This theory clearly contrasted with Wegener’s early theory of continental drift, except for Wegener believed that the sea floor remained stationary while the continents moved through it. In the late 1960’s the theory of Plate Tectonics evolved from the two
preexisting ideas of continental drift and sea floor spreading.(Plummer 465)
Geologists and biologists have traditionally thought of life as having adapted to
changes in the environmental conditions over time, but a new view of the earth has emerged from what is now called the Gaia theory. Many scientists now look at the entire earth as an organism; where living and nonliving matter evolve together maintaining an environment nearly ideal for life.
Gaia and Plate Tectonics Working Together
The Gaia theory maintains, that soon after the formation of life, organisms began to change the environment, as well as adapt to the environment. One example of Gaian regulation is in the earth’s maintenance of a relatively constant atmospheric temperature since life began. The Earth’s global temperature has remained relatively constant considering the sun gives off 30 percent more heat to the earth compared to four eons ago. One regulator in reducing global temperature is the conversion of carbon dioxide and water in the presence of light into carbohydrates and oxygen. As the amount of light reaching the earth has increased, the rate of photosynthesis increased, thereby removing CO2 and cooling the planet. Another regulator is the storage of CO2 in calcium carbonate in the shells of limestone producing organisms. This control of global temperature has been critical in Gaian regulation of the planet.(Anderson,348)
One more example of how the earth and the biosphere may have evolved is in its dependence and possible influence on plate tectonics. It’s fairly obvious that plate tectonics has a great effect on the biota, but the hypothesis that the biota has altered plate tectonics is still in its infancy. Some scientists believe that plate tectonics can only occur on a planet that has a moderate surface temperature. High surface temperatures, such as those found on Venus, “favor the development of a thick, buoyant crust.”( Stolz,50 ) In order for plate tectonics to work, the plates must be thin enough and dense enough to break and subduct. For this to be true, then it also must be true that life has an influence on plate tectonics. If today’s carbon dioxide levels were comparable to the levels before life became abundant, then we would have a significantly warmer surface temperature, possibly warm enough to prevent plate tectonics.(Stolz,77) The impact of life on plate tectonics, although speculative, would probably be significant.. The atmospheric composition would approximately be 98 percent CO2, if the earth were barren of any life forms. That is roughly the same as on Venus. The presence of large amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere four billion years go was necessary to prevent the oceans from freezing through. However, if this level of CO2 were present in today’s atmosphere, the increased insulation would bring the atmospheric temperatures to 290. F., or 50. C.; causing the oceans to boil away and making the planet forever dry, being comparable to Venus.
It has often been suggested that life originated on the earth because of a coincidence between the narrow temperature interval over which water is liquid and the temperature extremes that actually occur on the earth. The earth apparently is also exceptional in having active plate tectonics. If the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Venus could turn into limestone, the surface temperatures and those in the upper mantle would drop. The basalt-eclogite phase change would migrate to shallow depths, causing the lower part of the crust to become unstable. Thus there is the interesting possibility that plate tectonics may exist on the earth because limestone-generating life evolves here. (Nisbet,54)
The primary reason limestone forming organisms are sometimes credited with
allowing plate tectonics to occur on Earth is that they consume carbon dioxide, converting it to calcium carbonate in their shells. When the organisms die, the shells sink to the bottom of the ocean and are gradually buried. Eventually, some of the carbon dioxide is returned to the atmosphere through volcanic activity, but the net effect is a reduction in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There is no observation or experiments to support this, but there is one other hypothesis that states that the weight of these organisms, mostly stromatolites, depressed the oceanic crust sufficiently to cause subduction. This seems rather unlikely, however, and unless more evidence is gathered supporting this hypothesis, it will probably never be taken seriously.(Stolz,39)
The presence of water in the liquid state is also vital to plate tectonics as well as life. Water plays an important role in plate tectonics in that as magma rises, water permeates the pores of the solidifying rock. This happens at such a rate that, on the modern Earth, a volume of water roughly equivalent to the total volume of the oceans passes through the new lava about once every ten million years; which is a relatively short time, geologically speaking. In the distant past, the rate of cycling known as hydrothermal circulation, was probably much greater.(Westbroek,322) This process is significant to both plate tectonics and life, as the water in the rock helps the rock to melt again at a lower temperature, and it controls the chemistry of the water. These facts suggest that if plate tectonics were not active, the oceans might have become too toxic to support life.(Lovelock,134)
Conclusion
This information clearly states that there is some type of relationship between life and plate tectonics. There is the indication that a primitive plate tectonics was in effect before Gaian regulation began, but there is significant evidence that life has kept the process going. It seems that the presence of life, and the high surface temperature would cause the crust to gradually thicken and become more buoyant, thereby making subduction unlikely. Likewise, without plate tectonics the land would have become sterile and the oceans may have become toxic, thus probably preventing the continual existence of life on Earth.(Ages 1991)
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to separate the argument of how life effects plate tectonics from the argument of how plate tectonics affects life. One can imagine what the earth might be like if plate tectonics were not active here. Pangea was probably relatively featureless, and if the earth’s crust were stationary, it would undoubtedly remain flat. In addition, weathering and erosion would quickly bring the continent to sea level, and eventually the tides would disperse the sediment across the ocean floor (Perhaps like an Atlantis effect). The absence of plate tectonics would tremendously affect life on earth. There is a good chance that life could have formed in the oceans in the absence of plate tectonics, but it might not have persisted. It is doubtful that life would ever have been able to survive on land. The actions of weathering and erosion, constantly washing vital nutrients into the sea, and a lack of some kind of mechanism for returning those nutrients back to the land, the rock would become incapable of supporting life.
Works Cited
Anderson, Don L. The Earth as a Planet: Paradigms and Paradoxes. Science. January,
1984): 347-354.
Lovelock, James E.. Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1979.
Nisbet, E. G. Living Earth: A Short History of Life and Its Home. New York:
Harper Collins Academic, 1991.
Plummer, Charles C., McGeary, David, Carlson, Diane H.. Physical Geology Eighth Edition. McGraw-Hill.1999. 460-492
Stolz, John F. Biomineralization and Gaia Scientists on Gaia. Cambridge: The MIT
Press, 1991.
The Ages of Gaia: A Biography of Our Living Earth. New York: Bantam Books, 1988.
Westbroek, Peter. Life as a Geological Force: Dynamics of the Earth. New York: W. W.
Norton and Company, 1991.
Другие работы по теме:
Alfred Wegener Essay Research Paper Alfred Wegener
Alfred Wegener Essay, Research Paper Alfred Wegener was an explorer and meteorologist, born in Berlin, who first came up with the “Continental Drift Theory” or the “Wegener Theory.” This theory stated that all of the continents came from one super continent, also known as Pangea, which spread apart gradually moving into their current positions on Earth.
September 11 Essay Research Paper During the
September 11 Essay, Research Paper During the summer of tenth grade, I took a number theory course at Johns Hopkins University with students from Alaska, California, and Bogota, Colombia. My attendance of the New Jersey Governor’s School in the Sciences is another accomplishment that exemplifies my dedication to knowledge.
James Clerk Maxwell Essay Research Paper IntroductionHave
James Clerk Maxwell Essay, Research Paper Introduction Have you ever left a football outside? If you have you probably noticed it got smaller. And when you took it inside and set it next to a furnace or a vent blowing hot air, the ball tends to get a little bigger. This process can be best described by the Kinetic Molecular theory.
The HerseyBlanchard Situation Essay Research Paper The
The Hersey-Blanchard Situation Essay, Research Paper The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Theory One of the most widely followed leadership models is the situational leadership theory of Paul Heresy and Kenneth Blanchard. Situational Leadership Theory is a contingency theory that focuses on the followers.
Pyramids 3 Essay Research Paper Pyramids are
Pyramids 3 Essay, Research Paper Pyramids are one of the world s greatest mysteries, which are located in Egypt. There were a lot of theories of how the pyramids were built, but no one was sure. The Greeks came up with the theory, that it took 100, 000 men and 20 years to build the Great Pyramid of Gizeh. That theory was proven wrong because it was believed that it took 5 times that amount of men.
Frege Against Idealism Essay Research Paper Frege
Frege Against Idealism Essay, Research Paper Frege vs. Idealism In a nut shell Idealism is the position that IDEAS, not objects, are the basis of reality. So for idealists the meaning of an expression is the idea associated with that expression. For example, if one were to think of a lamp , then under the idea theory of reference the visual image that we pull up would be the meaning of the expression lamp .
Game Theory Essay Research Paper Game TheoryStrategic
Game Theory Essay, Research Paper Game Theory (Strategic Thinking in Everyday Life) Have you ever been faced with having to live with a decision you made knowing that had you taken the time to analyze the outcomes you may have made a more intelligible choice? Most likely the answer to that question was “yes”.
William James Essay Research Paper William James
William James Essay, Research Paper William James, in the first lecture of his work the varieties of religious experiences analyzes the origins of religious phenomena. The theory mostly debated among others is that of medical materialism.
Positivism Essay Research Paper PositivismPositivism is the
Positivism Essay, Research Paper Positivism Positivism is the belief that “scientific naturalism” is the foundation of knowledge and truth. Leszek Kolakowski wrote “Positivism is a normative attitude, regulating how we are to use such terms as knowledge , science , cognition , and information . Positivism rejects the theories of theology and metaphysics because they don t have proof that they are true.
Population Essay Research Paper POPULATIONThroughout history the
Population Essay, Research Paper POPULATION Throughout history, the thought of overpopulation has always concerned scientists. There have been quite a few theories about what would happen to the world if the population were to grow to a size breaking earth s carrying capacity. Of these theories, the two most probable are the Malthusian Theory and the Demographic Transition Theory.
Copernicus Essay Research Paper Copernicus
Copernicus Essay, Research Paper Copernicus’ work on planetary motion stood an a very high mathematical level for his times. His theory explained how all the celestial bodies move around the Sun. It took Nicolaus 30 years of mathematical research to form a theory about planetary motion. The three most popular instruments which Copernicus used were quadrant, armilla, and triquetrum.
Poverty Essay Research Paper There are over
Poverty Essay, Research Paper There are over fifteen million people living in poverty today in the United States. The best explanation for this high number is, there is no best explanation. It is just how it is. There are two different theories to help identify the problem. But no theory has been proven correct.
Henry Foyal Essay Research Paper Henry Fayol
Henry Foyal Essay, Research Paper Henry Fayol’s Principal of management Fayol was a key figure in the turn-of-the-century Classical School of management theory. He saw a manager’s job as:
Divine Command Theory Essay Research Paper Divine
Divine Command Theory Essay, Research Paper Divine Command Theory The divine command theory is the view that moral actions are those which conform to God’s will. Charity, for example, is morally proper because God endorses it, and murder is wrong because God condemns it. One way to test to see whether any action is right or wrong is first to determine if it conforms to God’s will, it is morally permissible, if it does not, then it is impermissible.
Ericsons Theory Essay Research Paper Erik H
Ericsons Theory Essay, Research Paper Erik H. Erikson, just like many others, had a theory of socialization process. In his theory during a human’s life they will meet main challenges during eight points in their life.
Douglas M Mcgregor Essay Research Paper Douglas
Douglas M. Mcgregor Essay, Research Paper Douglas M. McGregor Mr. McGregor theorizes that management views an employee s motivation toward work in two distinct ways Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X managers believe the following: (1) The average worker naturally does not like work and will avoid it whenever possible. (2) Managers must always control, motivate, and direct their employees to perform well. (3) Most workers prefer being directed, avoid responsibility, and seek job security.
Charles Darwin Essay Research Paper Charles Darwin 2
Charles Darwin Essay, Research Paper Charles Darwin, a 19th century biologist believed in a theory of survival of the fittest. The theory of Darwinism says that whoever is best fit for their surroundings will survive. This theory was used to explain how animals came about and survive and brought about the theory of evolution.
Metaphysics Essay Research Paper METAPHYSICSTHEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
Metaphysics Essay, Research Paper METAPHYSICS THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE AND BEYOND The complex knowledge of metaphysics ? once comprehended ? is capable of helping an individual reach self-realization. Aristotle, a renowned man of thinking, conjured metaphysics to help understand the theories of intelligence – - it?s core of existence and where it comes from, truth, and cause.
Theory Of Recollection Essay Research Paper Plato
Theory Of Recollection Essay, Research Paper Plato has had a Theory of Recollection to explain our access of knowledge, that knowledge is from within, and not obtained through experience. The Theory of Recollection refers to the idea that recollection is like the soul, where it is maintained and never dying, therefore it constitutes the spiritual aspect of remembering.
Juvenile Justice Essay Research Paper There are
Juvenile Justice Essay, Research Paper There are many theories of why juveniles become delinquent. Some theories that relate to Gloria are the Biosocial, Choice, Psychological, Social Structure Theories. The first theory that can apply to Gloria is neurological a Biosocial theory. This states that juveniles become delinquent due to learning disabilities such as attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
Pluralism Essay Research Paper PLURALISM AS THE
Pluralism Essay, Research Paper PLURALISM AS THE MOST DESCRIPTIVE THEORY OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENTThere are several different theories as to the question of how America is governed. Thereare those who still espouse the civics book theory, in which the individual is representedby his vote; those who advocate various elitist theories, claiming that we as individualshave no voice, and are merely pawns in some larger game, and there are those others whosupport what is known as the pluralist theory.
Freud Essay Research Paper Freud
Freud Essay, Research Paper Freud’s Personality Theory The development of gender roles in deifferent forms of feminsm gives us a revealing overview of Freud’s personality theory. It is relatively
Cellular Life Essay Research Paper In this
Cellular Life Essay, Research Paper In this paper I will show my knowledge of many different topics of Cellular Life. I will explain the theory of biogenesis, cell theory, the history of both and how they tie in together. I will also state the scientific method and why it is important to science.
Is Evolution A Fact Or A Theory
? Essay, Research Paper Is Evolution a Fact or a Theory? Both. In Darwin’s day, and before, many naturalists theorized that living things were somehow related in a manner beyond that of their obvious common differences from non-living matter. These speculations, including those of Darwin, are appropriately termed theories: speculations about nature that were informed by observation and subject to test by additional observations.
Supporting Big Bang Essay Research Paper Science
Supporting Big Bang Essay, Research Paper Science has hypothesized that the universe was created by a big bang. By researching stars and fossil records scientists have claimed that the earth is much older than it is said to be in the creation theory. The creation theory says that the universe is only several thousand years old, but carbon dating has shown that fossils on earth are millions of years old thus disproving part of the creation theory with evidence.
Big Bang Essay Research Paper Before The
Big Bang Essay, Research Paper Before The Big Bang Every since scientists came up with an idea of how the universe started and was created, through the Big Bang, there has always been discussion and questioning on what the universe was, before it was created. Was there nothing because there was no time and no God, or was there something we haven t discovered yet.
Grand Unified Theory Essay Research Paper Final
Grand Unified Theory Essay, Research Paper Final essay 7 Essay 7 There are many laws to help us understand motion and the way things move and work. Most of the modern excepted theories were either thought up by Sir Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein, and Greene?s theory tried to tie them all together.
Inherit The Wind Essay Research Paper In
Inherit The Wind Essay, Research Paper In our Consititution, citizens have many righhts, but do we have the right to think? In the play Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence adn Robert Lee, a man is on trial for teaching his students about the theory of evolution. Drummond, the lawyer for this man, said “With all respect to the bench, I hold that the right to think is very much on trial.”