Biosphere Conversion of Substances and Energy in the Formation of Continents

Abstract

The sedimentary stratum of the oceanic crust with a thickness of up to 3 kilometers and younger than the Jurassic age deposits of organic matter (OM) sediments, is saturated with O2 absorbed and dissolved in the ocean with binding energy in the range of 5–15 kJ/mol. During subduction of the oceanic crust into the mantle with T = 170–500°C, fluids of O2, H2O, CO2 are released and are subsequently filtered to the surface of the suprasubduction roof. The fluid O2 oxidizes the matters of the sedimentary cover, the mantle and the roof with O2 energy release of 14.97 kJ/kg. This results in the formation of a magma chamber. The melts of the chamber are divided with respect to density and composition into light-acidic enriched in SiO2 and compact—basic enriched in Са, Мg, K. The discharged acidic melts form a crust of a continental type. Energy saturation of the magma chamber is increased by exogenic energy of OM pyrolysis. At depths of subduction at T = 500–1200°C, OM undergoes deep metamorphism with the release of oil and gas fluids which form a planetary system of hydrocarbons. The continental crust and the hydrocarbon system are formed in many respects due to the biosphere conversion of solar energy, oxygen, and OM to the composition of the Earth’s outer shells.