Whoa, this is so cool!! Life may have triggered #PlateTectonics. These researchers suggest that, about 2 1/2 billion years ago, bacteria caused iron to precipitate out of the oceans, depositing 1 km of heavy rock layers every million years, eventually punching through Earth's crust and initiating the plate tectonic cycle. Since then, plate tectonics has helped to stabilize Earth's climate. h/t @DrFunkySpoon https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GL103553