A Day on Earth Used to Only Be 19 Hours universetoday storybywill
In past decades, geologists examined a special type of sedimentary rock that contains preserved layers from tidal mud flats. By counting the number of sedimentary layers caused by tidal fluctuations, they could determine the number of hours per day during previous geological periods. But such records are rare, and those examined were often disputed regarding their age.
In short, this theory posits that day length may have remained at a constant value in the past for extended periods of time rather than gradually growing longer. A key factor in this is “solar atmospheric tides,” where the “push” of charged solar particles from the Sun is related to the heating of our atmosphere during the daytime. This is similar to how lunar tides, caused by the “pull” of the Moon’s gravity, are related to the rise and fall of ocean levels.
Artist’s impression of Earth 650 million years ago during the Marinoan glaciation. Credit: University of St. Andrews While solar tides are not as strong as their lunar counterpart today, this may not have always been the case. When Earth was rotating faster in the past, the influence of the Moon’s gravitational pull would have been much weaker. When Mitchell and Kirscher examined the data compilation, they noted that between two to one billion years ago, Earth’s day length appears to have stopped its long-term increase and stopped at about 19 hours.
What is especially intriguing about the new result is how the “boring billion” occurred between the two largest rises in oxygen content in our atmosphere. These were the
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