A study led by Rutgers sheds new light on the wonder and addresses issues surrounding the Late Triassic climate about 200 million years ago.
(Photo: Finetooth / Wikimedia Commons)
The Tepees in Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona, United States. The view is northwest from the main park road
Why do rocks turn red?
Christopher Lepre, lead author and assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Planning Sciences at Rutgers University, says, “All the red color we saw in the rocks of New Jersey and the American Southwest is due to the presence of hematite, a mineral. . “
He said, “As far as we know, there are only a few places where this red hematite phenomenon is widespread: one connecting the geological ‘red beds’ on Earth, and another the surface of Mars. “
The study, published in the Geological Society of America, takes a step forward in understanding how long it takes for redness to form, chemical reactions involved, and the role of hematite.
The research challenges conventional thinking that hematite offers only limited use in explaining the ancient history usually because it is the result of natural chemical changes that occur from it. after the beds are first deposited.
CENTRAL ANSWER: Chinese scientists discover rock material that could reveal ‘Origin of Life’
What is hematite?
Hematite is one of the most abundant minerals on the planet’s surface and in the shallow crust. Iron oxide (Fe2O3) is a chemical commonly responsible for rock formation in metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous rocks in several places around the globe.
Hematite is also the most valuable iron ore. Although previously mined in various parts of the world, today, almost all yields come from a few dozen large investments.
Most of these mines are now manufactured in Australia, Brazil, India, China, Russia, the United States, and many more.
Hematite turns red
Lepre and his team showed hematite densities tracked 14.5 million years of Late Triassic monsoonal water over the great Colorado Plateau, Arizona back when it was part of the supercontinent Pangea.
Analyzing the data, researchers evaluated the relationships between environmental disturbances, terrestrial invertebrate evolution, and climate.
Scientists studied parts of a 1,700-foot-long heart from the Chinle Foundation in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona. The same study has previously been conducted that concluded that gravity tubing from both Venus and Jupiter affected the Earth’s orbit approximately every 405,000 years that would affect the planet’s climate for co. -At least 2015 million years.
Lepre and his colleagues measured the visible light spectrum to determine hematite concentrations within the rocks. This is the first time this method has been used to study rocks dating back more than 200 million years during the late Triassic.
Many believe that the recent redness caused by iron in rocks reacts with rust-like air.
Lepre says, “The hematite is indeed old and probably due to the interaction between ancient soils and climate change. This climate information allows us to understand some of the causes and effects that resolve whether they were due to climate change or an asteroid impact in Canada. ”
The team, in collaboration with Navajo Nation members, submitted a multi-million dollar grant proposal in an effort to recover more rights from the Colorado Platform.
LOVE STORY: Look! The geologist finds the $ 10,000 Rare Rock Worth Amazing Cooking Monster
Check out more Geology news and information on the Science Times.