Scientists have discovered that the influence of the Sun penetrates deep into the Earth

For many years, scientists believed that changes inside the EarthEvents such as volcanic eruptions and tectonic plate collisions primarily affected the near-ground environment. Events such as the mass extinction about 66 million years ago and the transition from a greenhouse climate to an ice age were thought to have been primarily caused by these deep-earth processes. However, new research published in Nature Communications showed off an amazing new look: Solar radiation can also affect the deep interior of the Earth..

Solar radiation and its impact on the interior of the planet Earth

Solar radiation varies with latitudecreating temperature gradients on the sea surface that affect the distribution of marine life

. These Carbon-rich organisms are transported into the Earth’s interior due to the subduction of oceanic plates. Researchers from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have found that this process significantly affects redox state of arc magma.

“Redox” state of arc magma. It refers to balance between reducing (oxygen loss or electron gain) and oxidizing (oxygen gain or electron loss) states within magma formed in volcanic arcs.

Marine organisms serve as organic carbon and an important reducing agent for the solid Earth. Therefore, the redox state of arc magma may reflect how the Sun’s influence penetrates deep into the Earth.

They met thousands of magma samples reveal global variationsl oxidation-reduction statewhich are essential for finding metallic minerals such as copper, tin and lithium, key elements for renewable energy technologies. These samples have provided remarkable information about Interaction between surface climate and deep Earth processes.

Vanadium and scandium levels in arc magma served as key indicators in geochemical models.By collecting global geochemical data on Cenozoic arc magma and melt inclusions contained in olivine, the researchers discovered latitude-dependent redox distribution of arc magma with less oxidized magma at lower latitudes compared to higher latitudes

.

“Previous studies have mostly compared samples from the same longitudinal regions, such as the United States in the Northern Hemisphere and Mexico in the tropics, without finding significant differences. However, our samples from different latitudes showed different oxidation-reduction reactions, which piqued our curiosity. Trying to explain these differences led us to discover this unexpected pattern.“, said Wang Bogeologist and co-author of the study.

“This unexpected pattern suggests that surface climate has a direct impact on the Earth’s depths. It also suggests that the Earth’s surface environment and climate have a vital impact on the Earth’s depths.“VAN said.

How does the Sun affect the Earth’s interior?

Seabed surveys provide more evidencewhich show smaller carbon pools at lower latitudes. This carbon reacts with sulfur to form sulfide, which then transferred to the mantlewhich contributes to the observed redox pattern.

“The observed pattern suggests a strong link between the surface environment and the redox state of the deep Earth, opening up new avenues for studying the resources and environmental impacts of subduction systems at different latitudes.

“, said Hu Fangyangauthor of the study.

While the results are compelling, the researchers acknowledge the need for more global data on the marine environment and subducted sediments. The study opens up new avenues for scientific research.

Link

Fangyan Hu et al., Latitude-dependent oxygen fugacity in arc magmas, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50337-6