Alexandria, VA - EARTH Magazine plunges into the depths of the ocean with scientists seeking whether Earth's climate and sea-level history are intrinsically linked with tectonics at mid-ocean ridges. Since these ridges are not as well studied as terrestrial volcanoes, largely given the challenge to access them, teams of researchers are using tectonic models, evidence from high-resolution mapping of different spreading ridges and sediment cores to examine the evidence.
When a potential link between climate, sea-level change and mid-ocean ridge volcanism was first proposed, it was met with considerable push-back from leading experts in the field. Dissent through published comments and rebuttals, though vigorous, did not dismiss the possibility outright, but dissenters argued that certain fundamental ideas to mid-ocean ridge tectonism, such as the role faulting plays needed to be preserved.
The community is now looking at spreading rates, how global glaciations affect the mass of the overlying water column, and how Earth's orbit changes as over time to determine if there is a significant signal of this relationship in the data and geologic records. Get the inside scoop on this hot debate in EARTH Magazine: http://bit.ly/1OauztJ.
EARTH Magazine brings you the lively debate that makes the geoscience community so vibrant. The May 2016 issue, available now at http://www.earthmagazine.com, is filled with the latest research including: how "hot Jupiter" atmospheres are coming into focus, whether the Medieval Warm Period helped the Vikings survive in Greenland, and whether life exists in the coldest and driest regions of Antarctica.
Source: American Geosciences Institute