Vernian Obscura et Trivia 3

Recent Science Takes Another Look at Verne’s Geology

By Quentin R. Skrabec Ph.D

 

Once again, one of Verne’s yet-confirmed futuristic projections may come true. Recent research in 2023 at the University of Sydney by Dr. Tristan Sallies, School of Geosciences, has proposed a new hypothesis for the evolution of plants and animals. Dr. Sallies’s research returns to the 19^th-century view of landscapes driving the development of life on Earth. Dr. Sallies traces his ideas to geologist Alexander Humboldt (1769-1859) and writer Jules Verne. Sallies sees the movement of rivers, mountains, oceans, and sediment nutrients as driving forces in the Earth’s biodiversity.

Jules Verne’s hero, Professor Otto Lidenbrock, in Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), noted: “Animal life existed upon the earth only in the secondary period when the sediment of soil had been deposited by rivers and taken the place of the incandescent rocks of the primitive period.” This statement is clearly based on Humboldt's work. By the end of the 19^th century, modern geologists had questioned Humboldt’s view.

Dr. Sallies said: “This observation by Professor Lidenbrock to his nephew Axel fits our hypotheses perfectly. So, it should be no surprise that Jules Verne was greatly inspired by Humbodlt’s work.” Sallies’ work can be summarized as follows: “In a nutshell, we reconstructed Earth landforms over the Phanerozoic era, which started 540 million years ago, and looked at the correlations between the evolving river networks, sediment transfers, and known distribution of marine and plant families. Rivers not only carve canyons and form valleys but play the role of Earth’s circulatory system as the main conduits for nutrient and sediment transfer from sources (mountains) to sinks (oceans).” Dr. Sallies’ theory has been published in Nature and Phys. Org.

Dr. Sallies is far from alone in his ideas. Robert Hazen, 2021 recipient of the International Mineralogical Association’s Medal of Excellence, has been developing proof that mineral and rock evolution is part of Earth's “Big History” of life.