The Earth has supported life for at least 260 million years. During all that time, the planet has witnessed changes ranging from the era of the dinosaurs to the appearance of humans, and also countless astronomical phenomena.
It is because of the uniqueness of our planet that scientists of all times have tried to understand its functioning.
And now, Recent research revealed an intriguing geological pattern: a ‘beat’ or ‘pulse’ that translates to catastrophic events, such as volcanic eruptions, mass extinctions, or changes in sea levelwhich would occur every 27.5 million years.
What is the ‘heartbeat’ of the Earth?
This cycle or ‘geological heartbeat’ establishes that our planet goes through relatively stable periodswith approximately 27.5 million years before the next catastrophic episode.
In other words, unlike the previous belief in the randomness of geological events, this study suggests a correlation, indicating that at least one irreversible phenomenon occurs every 27.5 million years.
According to the researchers, the analysis of 89 geological events key in the last 260 million years supports this relationship, marking a grid pattern of marine crises, extinctions and/or eruptions.
Although the cause of this ‘geological heartbeat’ remains a mystery, speculation points to comet impacts, geophysical processes linked to plate tectonics or even astronomical cycles such as possible drivers.
Over decades, the theory of the geological cycle has varied between 30 and 26 million yearsbut it is now proposed that the 27.5 million year cycle could be the constant and definitive pattern of the Earth.