A sandstone fragment reveals valid information over climate change

A cobble of green sandstone discovered near Antarctica has revealed crucial information regarding the future conditions on Earth if climate change persists.

The effects of climate change are evident with the rising of the sea-water level and increase in temperatures. According to NASA, the temperature increase observed globally is (by more than 95% probability) a result of human activity from the 1950s to today. There is an indisputable correlation between the levels of greenhouse gases (that are higher than ever in human history) and climate change.

If conditions do not drastically change, the world will be a different place in the near future. Nevertheless, how different would Earth be is still a matter of research and understanding. There are numerous prediction models about the degree of the changes on the planet's characteristics imposed by climate change.

The piece of green sandstone that was found off the coast of West Antarctica may shed light on the future conditions of Earth. The interesting fact about the green fragment is that it was discovered in an unusual place with respect to its initial location. Researchers from the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), that retrieved the sample from an iceberg, were able to locate its original location. That was in the Ellsworth Mountains, the highest mountain range in Antarctica, about 1300 kilometers away from the site it was found.

The research team was surprised by this finding since it is not feasible for a piece of rock to travel that distance given the existing terrain and the characteristics of the erosion processes. "In our view of observations of that material, it would not withstand a great deal of transport, with deposition and then re-transport over multiple steps of a cycle..." Dr. Siddoway C., a Professor of Geology at Colorado College, stated.

Scientists found the answer by looking at the material's geological history. It was found that the sandstone was formed during the mid-Pliocene era (about 3 million years ago). That era is an exaggerated example of the current trend that climate change may impose on Earth. The sea-water level was much higher than current levels (up to 20 meters) and the average global temperature was also 2-3°C higher. It was found that the only way that the sandstone cobble could reach that spot, is if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet had melted away. In that case, Antarctica would not look like a vast mass of ice but more like a group of islands.

The evidence suggests that the Antarctica ice sheet can readily melt given an increase in temperature. Moreover, the conditions of the mid-Pliocene period are expected to re-occur given the current data. Hence, the threat of an immense Antarctica ice sheet deterioration in the future is real.