TITLE:
Milky Way Influenced Phanerozoic Cycles, Proterozoic Episodes, Global Catastrophes, Climate and the Evolution of Life on Earth: Review and Analysis
AUTHORS:
Heinz-Jürgen Brink
KEYWORDS:
Spiral arms, Supernovae, Asteroid Impacts, Magnetic Field, Phosphorous, Oxygen, Ozone
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.15 No.11,
November
15,
2024
ABSTRACT: A compilation of many different kinds of natural scientific investigations and their interrelations as well as their collective interpretation are necessary to understand past, presence and future of the Earth’s system adequately. This has been tried with somehow surprising results in this paper. Milky Way related cycles on Earth of 150 Myr duration as observed for the Phanerozoic Eon are obviously not dominant in the Proterozoic Eon. Only a very weak galactic signal due to periodic occurrences of phosphorous may be present that has entered the Earth from exploding stars. The Phanerozoic can be defined as an eon with very sensitive geophysical, geological, meteorological and biological reactions. The accelerated reactions from a 400 Myr to a 300 Myr cycle of mineral ages and continental tectonics include a generally high surface temperature with glacial interruptions, high oxygen and ozone values in the atmosphere, increase of the strength of the magnetic field and the rise of the asteroid impact rate witness those sensitives. It cannot be excluded after analyzing all related data that 1) Asteroid impacts stabilized and strengthened the Earth’s magnetic field, 2) apparently the acceleration of geodynamic processes on Earth after weakening of the dynamics of Earth’s core (geodynamo) is Milky Way supported, 3) the life spending biologically produced oxygen and its ozone derivative can influence Earth’s climate significantly, and 4) somehow time coordinated events like asteroid impacts, Earth’s core dynamics, nearby exploding stars, solar system pathway through dusty spiral arms, plate tectonics, a speculative companion of the Sun (or something else) and oxygen production via photosynthesis were essential ingredients for the remarkable success of life on Earth.