Some Evidences on the Relationship of Cyclic Development of Photosynthesis and the Earth’s Crust Processes

Recently published model of the global redox carbon cycle [1] asserts that cycle is a recurring sequence of related processes on the Earth. The sequence is called the orogenic cycle and consists of short-term orogenic and long-term geosynclynal periods. The orogenic period of the cycle is characterized with intense volcanism, magmatism and mountain building. The geosynclynal period is characterized with quiet development of the Earth’s crust when photosynthesis and weathering become dominant. It was assumed that orogenic and geosynclynal periods are the result of non-uniform movement of lithospheric plates. In orogenic period plates collide and the released energy intensifies thermochemical sulfate reduction in the subduction zone (zone of plates’ collisions), where oxidation of sedimentary organic carbon occurs. Carbon dioxide, derived in oxidation, rises onto the Earth’s surface filling the “atmosphere-hydrosphere” system. Carbon dioxide injections evoke photosynthesis development which in subsequent geosynclynal period results in depletion of CO2 in the system. In orogenic period such mechanism provides high concentration of CO2 in the “atmosphere-hydrosphere” system and higher temperatures accordingly on the Earth surface (“greenhouse effect”). According to the above mechanism, in geosynclynal period, a gradual decrease of CO2 concentration in the “atmospherehydrosphere” system due to photosynthesis results in the corresponding temperature fall, ending with glaciations. Entirely the mechanism leads to the correlation between orogenic and climatic cycles. Note, that the correlation between geological and climatic cycles has been discovered long ago and widely discussed [2-4].