Abstract
Although vulcanicity is seen as a possible mechanism of climatic change, under present rates of eruptions it is difficult to envisage volcanic activity acting independently of other factors in causing significant and lasting global climate changes. This note considers the global plate-tectonic regime which may have prevailed during the Archean, and which, as a consequence, should have resulted in rates of volcanic eruptions significantly higher than at present. From this would follow atmospheric CO2 levels significantly higher than those which prevail today. In this note we attempt to establish a link between the Archean global plate-tectonic regime and the high atmospheric CO2 levels which are thought to have existed at that time.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barley, M.E.: 1981, ‘Relation Between Volcanic Rocks in the Warrawoona Group: Continuous or Cyclic Evolution?’, in Glover, J. E. and Groves, D. I. (eds), Archaean Geology, Geol. Soc. Aust., Spec. Pub. 7, pp. 263–275.
Barnes, I., White, W. P., and White, D. E.: 1978, ‘Global Distribution of Carbon Dioxide Discharges and Major Zones of Seismicity’, U.S. Geol. Survey Water Resources Inv. Open-file rept. 78-39, 12 p.
Berner, R. A., Lasaga, A. C., and Garrels, R. M.: 1983, ‘The Carbonate-Silicate Geochemical Cycle and its Effects on Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide over the Past 100 Million Years’, Amer. Jour, Science 283, 641–683.
Bickle, M. J.: 1978, ‘Heat Loss from the Earth; A Constraint on Archaean Tectonics from the Relation Between Geothermal Gradients and the Rate of Plate Production’, Earth Planet Science Lett. 40, 301–315.
Bickle, M. J.: 1984, ‘Variation in Tectonic Style with Time: Alpine and Archean Systems’, in Holland, H. D. and Trendall, A. F. (eds) Patterns of Change in Earth Evolution, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 357–370.
Bray, J. R.: 1979, ‘Surface Albedo Increase Following Massive Pleistocene Explosive Eruption in Western North America’, Quat. Res. 12, 204–211.
Bryson, R. A. and Goodman, B. M.: 1980, ‘Volcanic Activity and Climatic Changes’, Science 207, 1041–1044.
Burke, K. and Kidd, W. S. F.: 1978, ‘Were Archean Continental Geotherms Much Steeper than those of Today’, Nature 272, 240–241.
Christie-Blick, N.: 1982, ‘Pre-Pleistocene Glaciations on the Earth. Implications for the Climatic History of Mars’, Icarus 50, 421–443.
England, P. and Bickle, M.: 1984, ‘Continental Thermal and Tectonic Regimes During the Archean’, Jour. Geol. 92, 353–368.
Ewers, W. E. and Morris, R. C.: 1981, ‘Studies on the Dales Gorge Member of the Brockman from Iron Formation, Western Australia’, Econ. Geol. 76, 1929–1953.
Giles, C. W.: 1981, ‘Archaean Calc-Alkaline Volcanism in the Eastern Goldfield Province, Western Australia’, in Glover, J. E. and Groves, D. I. (eds) Archaean Geology, Geol. Soc. Aust. Spec. Pub. 7, pp. 275–287.
Gilliland, R. L.: 1982, ‘Solar, Volcanic and CO2 Forcing of Recent Climatic Changes’, Climatic Change 4, 111–131.
Glikson, A. Y. and Hickman, A. H.: 1981, ‘Geochemical Stratigraphy and Petrogenesis of Archaean Basic — Ultrabasic Volcanic Units, Eastern Pilbara Block, Western Australia’, in Glover, J. E. and Groves, D. I. (eds) Archaean Geology, Geol. Soc. Aust. Spec. Pub. 7, 281–301.
Hart, M. H.: 1978, ‘The Evolution of the Atmosphere of the Earth’, Icarus 33, 23–39.
Hirschboeck, K. K.: 1980, ‘A New Worldwide Chronology of Volcanic Eruptions’, Palaeogeog., Palaeoclimat., Palaeoecol. 29, 223–241.
Holland, H. D.: 1976, ‘The Evolution of Seawater’, in Windley, B. F. (ed), The Early History of the Earth, Wiley and Sons, London, 559–567.
Holland, H. D.: 1984, The Chemical Evolution of the Atmosphere and Oceans, Princeton Univ. Press, 582 pp.
Honda, S. and Uyeda S.: 1983, ‘Thermal Process in Subduction Zones — A Review and Preliminary Approach’, in Shimozuru, D. and Yokoyama, I., Arc Volcanism: Physics and Tectonics, D. Reidel Publ. Co., Dordrecht, Holland, pp. 117–140.
Javoy, M., Pineau, F., and Allegre C. J.: 1982, ‘Carbon Geodynamic Cycle’, Nature 300, 171–173.
Kröner, A.: 1985, ‘Evolution of the Archean Crust’, Ann. Rev. Earth Planetary Sciences 13, 49–74.
La Berge, G. L.: 1966, ‘Altered Pyroclastic Rock in Iron-Formation in the Hamersley Range, Western Australia’, Econ. Geol. 61, 147–161.
La Marche, V. C. and Hirschboeck, K. K.: 1984, ‘Frost Rings in Trees as Records of Major Volcanic Eruptions’, Nature 307, 121–126.
Lamb, H. H.: 1970, ‘Volcanic Dust in the Atmosphere: with a Chronology and Assessment of its Meteorological Significance’, Philo. Trans. Roy. Soc. 266, 425–473.
Lowe, D. R.: 1980, ‘Archen Sedimentation’, Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 1980, 145–67.
Mass, C. and Schneider, S. H.: 1977, ‘Statistical Evidence on the Influence of Sunspots and Volcanic Dust on Long-Term Temperature Records’, J. Atmos. Sciences 34, 1995–2004.
Macdonald, K. C.: 1982, ‘Mid-Ocean Ridges: Fine Scale Tectonics, Volcanic and Hydrothermal Processes Within the Plate Boundary Zone’, Ann. Rev. Earth Planetary Schiences, 10, 155–199.
McConchie, D. M.: 1984, ‘A Depositional Environment for the Hamersley Group: Palaeogeography and Geochemistry’, in Muhling, J. R., Groves, D. I., and Blake T. S. (eds), Archaean and Proterozoic Basins of the Pilbara, Western Australia, Univ. West. Aust. Geol. Dept. and Ext. Service Publ., 9, pp. 144–191.
McKenzie, D.: 1967, ‘Some Remarks on Heat Flow and Gravity Anomalies’, Jour. Geophys. Res. 72, 6261–6269.
McKenzie, D. and Weioss, N.: 1975, ‘Speculations on the Thermal and Tectonic History of the Earth’, Roy. Astron. Soc. Geophys. Jour. 42, 131–174.
Morris, R. C. and Horwitz, R. C.: 1983, ‘The Origin of the Iron-Formation-Rich Hamersley Group of Western Australia — Deposition On a Platform’, Precamb. Res. 21, 273–297.
Nisbet, E. G.: 1984, ‘Modelling Mantel Temperatures During the Archaean’, Nature 309, 110.
Owen, T., Cess, R. D. and Ramanathan, V.: 1979, ‘Enhanced CO2 Greenhouse to Compensate for Reduced Solar Luminosity on Early Earth’, Nature 277, 640–642.
Pollack, J. B., Toon, O. B., Sagan, C., Summers, A., Baldwin, B. and Van Camp, W.: 1976a, ‘Volcanic Explosions and Climatic Change; A Theoretical Assessment’, Jour. Geophys. Res. 81, 1071–1083.
Pollack, J., Toon, O., Summers, A., Baldwin, B., Sagan, C. and Van Camp, W.: 1976b, ‘Stratospheric Aerosols and Climatic Change’, Nature 263, 551–555.
Richter, F. M.: 1985, ‘Models for the Archean Thermal Regime’, Earth Planet Science Lett. 73, 350–360.
Ringwood, A. E.: 1977, ‘Composition of the Core and Implications for the Origin of the Earth’, Geochem. Jour. 11, 111–135.
Ronov, A. B.: 1968, ‘Probable Changes in the Composition of Seawater During the Course of Geological Time’, Sedimentology 10, 25–43.
Sagan, C. and Mullen, G.: 1972, ‘Earth and Mars: Evolution of Atmosphere and Surface Temperature’, Science 177, 52–56.
Schatten, K. H. and Endal, A. S.: 1982, ‘The Faint Young Sun — Climate Paradox: Volcanic Influences’, Geophys. Res. Lett. 9, 1309–1311.
Sclater, J. G. and Francheterau, J.: 1970, ‘The Implications of Terrestrial Heatflow Observations on Current Tectonic and Geochemical Models of the Crust and Upper Mantle of the Earth’, Geophys. Jour. Roy. Astron. Soc. 20, 509–515.
Sigurdson, H.: 1982, ‘Volcanic Pollution and Climate: the 1978 Lake Eruption’, Eos 63, 601–602.
Sleep, H. H. and Windley B. F.: 1982, ‘Archean Plate Tectonics: Constraints and Inferences’, Jour. Geol. 90, 363–380.
Sleep, N. H. and Langan, R. T.: 1981, ‘Thermal Evolution of the Earth: Some Recent Developments’, Advanc. Geophys. 23, 1–23.
Toon, E. B.: 1984, ‘Sudden Changes in Atmospheric Composition and Climate’, in Holland, H. D. and Trendall, A. F. (eds.), Patterns of Change in Earth Evolution, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 41–62.
Trendall, A. F. and Blockley, J. G.: 1970, ‘The Iron Formations of the Precambrian Hamersley Group, Western Australia; With Special Reference to the Associated Crocidolite’, Geol. Surv. West. Aust., Bull. 119, 366 p.
Turcotte, D. L.: 1982, ‘Magma Migration’, Ann. Rev. Earth and Planetary Sciences 10, 397–408.
Turcotte, D. L. and Schubert, G.: 1983, Geodynamics: Applications of Continuum Physics to Geological Problems, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 449 p.
Veizer, J.: 1983, ‘Geologic Evolution of the Archean-Early Proterozoic Earth’, in Schopf, J. W. (ed.), Earth's Earliest Biosphere: its Origin and Evolution, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, pp. 240–258.
Walker, J. C. G.: 1977, Evolution of the Atmosphere, MacMillan, New York, 318 pp.
Walker, J. C. G.: 1982, ‘Climatic Factors on the Archean Earth’, Palaeogeog., Palaeoclimat., Palaeoecol. 40, 1–12.
Walker, J. C. G.: 1983, ‘Possible Limits on the composition of the Archaean Ocean’, Nature 302, 518–520.
Walker, J. C. G., Klein, C., Schidlowski, M., Schopf, J. W., Stevenson, D. J., and Walter, M. R.: 1983, ‘Environmental Evolution of the Archean-Early Proterozoic Earth’, in Schopf, J. W., (ed.), Earth's Earliest Biosphere: its Origin and Evolution, Princeton University Press, Princeton New Jersey, 260–289.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wyrwoll, KH., McConchie, D. Accelerated plate motion and rates of volcanicity as controls on Archean climates. Climatic Change 8, 257–265 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00161598
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00161598