WN@TL - Earth's Long-term Biogeochemical Evolution. Shanan Peters. 2017.05.17

The earth’s surface chemistry is controlled by mass exchanges occurring between the surface environment and sedimentary rocks in the earth’s crust. Although this fact has been recognized for more than 100 years, it has long been assumed that the formation of sedimentary rocks is balanced by their erosion and destruction. We will explore the geological record (yes, there’s a cool app for that!) to discover that the mass of sediments in the earth’s crust has grown unsteadily over the past 2.5 billion years, with many far-reaching consequences for the evolution and maintenance of complex life. About the Speaker: Shanan Peters is a professor in the Department of Geoscience at UW–Madison. He earned a bachelor’s degree in geology at Denison University and a PhD in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago. Shanan was also a Michigan Society Fellow at the University of Michigan.