If Earth's internal heat engine stalled, what vital process would cease, leading to biological stagnation over geological timescales?
Answer
The replenishment of critical surface nutrients like phosphorus from the deep crust.
If plate tectonics stopped, the lack of volcanic input would halt the recycling that brings critical nutrients, like phosphorus, from deep crustal layers to the surface oceans, causing essential building blocks to become locked away.
Related Questions
What are the three interlocking reasons cited for life's existence on Earth?What is the common nickname for Earth’s orbital location that permits liquid water?What indispensable role does liquid water play in sustaining terrestrial biology?What protective measure, besides correct orbital distance, helps maintain liquid water on Earth?What fundamental element forms the basis of life on Earth, requiring specific surface availability?What extraterrestrial evidence confirms that raw organic building blocks may have been delivered to early Earth?What specific molecular property, or "handedness," required selective amplification for large biological molecules to function?What potent energy source, theorized by the Hadean Bioscience Project, surpassed sunlight for initial organic molecule formation?What crucial geological process provides the necessary continuous resource regeneration for life on Earth?Where is it theorized that life likely emerged, given the need for specific dry-wet cycles and chemical signatures?If Earth's internal heat engine stalled, what vital process would cease, leading to biological stagnation over geological timescales?According to the text, why did deep-sea hydrothermal vents fail to meet all the criteria for life's origin compared to nuclear geyser systems?