Significance Astronomically forced climate change is recorded in the Earth’s cyclic sedimentary record (“cyclostratigraphy”). These records can inform on past dynamics of the Solar system and Earth rotation. Here, we… Click to show full abstract
Significance Astronomically forced climate change is recorded in the Earth’s cyclic sedimentary record (“cyclostratigraphy”). These records can inform on past dynamics of the Solar system and Earth rotation. Here, we reconstruct the evolution of Earth’s rotational deceleration during the Paleozoic Era based on new analysis of selected high-quality cyclostratigraphy datasets. A staircase pattern in deceleration from 650 to 280 Mya is identified and attributed to the occurrence of tidal dissipation resonance. Modeling indicates that the development of major glaciations during the Paleozoic had a negligible impact on Earth’s rotation.
Journal Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Year Published: 2024
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