New research suggests a giant mountain range supported life on Earth over 600 million years ago.
The ancient mountain range was believed to have been comparable in size to today's Himalayas, the Australian National University reported.
"Just like the Himalayas, this range was eroded intensely because it was so huge. As the sediments washed into the oceans they provided the perfect nutrients for life to flourish," said Professor Daniela Rubatto of the Research School of Earth Sciences at The Australian National University (ANU).
Past research on ancient ocean chemistry has suggested a large mountain range was feeding the oceans at this time, but this is the first time solid evidence has backed up that theory.
"Although the mountains have long since washed away, rocks from their roots told the story of the ancient mountain range's grandeur," said co-researcher Professor Joerg Hermann.
The range is believed to have formed when two continents collided, pushing rock about 60 miles into the Earth's mantle where the high temperature and pressure conditions created new minerals. Once the mountains eroded, the roots rose to the surface in regions that are now Togo, Mali and northeast Brazil.
To make their findings, the research team looked at rock samples from the roots of the ancient mountains and used "world-leading equipment" to identify they were from the correct time period and had been created deep within the Earth.
The discovery marks the earliest evidence of Himalayan-scale mountains on Earth 600 million years ago.
"The research team involved specialists from a range of different areas of Earth Science sharing their knowledge," Rubatto said.
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