Through the Earth’s history, continents have crashed into each other as they move across the planet surface, building up huge mountain chains like the Alps and Himalayas. Geologists have taken a strong interest in the consequences of these major events, as they influence drainage systems, erosion and climate change.
Some scientists believe that as the continents press against each other, a lot of water is squeezed out of them and has an important role in the large-scale movement of minerals and petroleum.
In a paper published this week in the leading journal 'Geology', scientists from the University of Aberdeen and the Open University have tested this idea. Graduate student Darren Mark and Professor John Parnell, Chair in Geology & Petroleum Geology from Aberdeen, have been involved in leading the study. Professor Simon Kelley and Dr Sarah Sherlock have also been investigating from the Open University and between both teams they have examined minerals precipitated in rocks from the extreme northwest of Scotland.
These rocks have, and indeed show, that they date back to a time over 400 million years ago when two continents hit each other to create a chain of mountains, of which the Scottish Highlands are the remnant.
Work involved a combination of field sampling in the North West of Scotland, and sophisticated measurements under a microscope both at Aberdeen and the Open University.
The results prove that water was flushing through the rocks due to continental collision. Professor Parnell said: "This is the first time that this type of research has ever been done and is welcome evidence for a very large-scale aspect of how the planet works, which we need to understand better to improve our prediction of where to look for natural resources like metals and oil.
"It represents a novel combination of expertise in the two groups both at Aberdeen and the Open University. We hope to extend this study beyond Scotland to other parts of the ancient mountain chain, now in Appalachians, Newfoundland, Greenland and Arctic Canada."