Life on Earth may not have evolved into advanced species like humans if it weren’t for the emergence of two “monsters”: Supermountain Nuna and Supermountain Transgondwana.
Recent research published by the Australian National University and Queensland University of Technology reveals that supermountains—massive mountain ranges many times larger than the most majestic modern ranges—have appeared twice on Earth.
The first is Supermountain Nuna, which emerged between 2 to 1.8 billion years ago during the gradual formation of the supercontinent Nuna. This supermountain coincided with the appearance of large, complex cells, marking the diversification of life on Earth after billions of years of “stagnation” in the form of single-celled bacteria.
Ancient supermountains are a type of “monster” mountain formed by the process of supercontinent amalgamation, three to four times the scale of the modern Himalayas – (Photo: Keith Johnston)
According to Sci-News, Supermountain Nuna is estimated to be three to four times larger than the modern Himalayas.
The second is Supermountain Transgondwana, which formed during the amalgamation of the supercontinent Gondwana, approximately 650 to 500 million years ago. This period also marked the emergence of the first large animals (575 million years ago) and the “Cambrian explosion” 45 million years later.
Professor Jochen Brocks from the Australian National University, a member of the research team, stated that they discovered these supermountains by tracing clues left by zircon and the presence of lutetium—combinations of minerals and rare earth elements found only in the “roots” of high mountains, still hidden in the Earth’s modern landscape.
The study, published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, also indicates that these supermountains, when eroded, provide essential nutrients such as phosphorus and iron to the oceans, enhancing the biological cycle and promoting evolution. Additionally, the mountain-building process increases the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere.
