[Rockhounds] Ancient Plants Increased Production of Mudrocks

[Paul]

Ancient rootless plants linked to increase in production of mud rock
by Bob Yirka, Phys.org report, March 2, 2018
https://phys.org/news/2018-03-ancient-rootless-linked-production-mud.html

Early land plants led to the rise of mud. Mud rocks increased in
riverbeds as rootless plants spread around 458 million years ago
by Carolyn Gramling, Science News, March 1, 2018
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/early-land-plants-led-rise-mud
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-03/aaft-rsr022618.php

The paper is:

McMahon, W.J., and NeDavies, N. S., 2018, Evolution of alluvial
mudrock forced by early land plants. Vol. 359, Issue 6379,
pp. 1022-1024. DOI: 10.1126/science.aan4660
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6379/1022

Other articles:

How plants reshaped the rivers of early Earth 415 million years ago,
the meandering, branching waterways we know virtually didn't exist
By Charles Q. Choi OurAmazingPlanet,
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/46221805/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/how-plants-reshaped-rivers-early-earth/

Weathering of rocks by mosses may explain climate effects
during the Late Ordovician, July 7, 2016, Stockholm University
https://phys.org/news/2016-07-weathering-mosses-climate-effects-late.html

Another paper:

Gastaldo, R.A., and Demko, T.M., 2011. The relationship between
continental landscape evolution and the plant-fossil record: long
term hydrologic controls on preservation. In Taphonomy
(pp. 249-285). Springer Netherlands.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/228a/761d2e7ce3c4a002fa9f1362f8e684aef56f.pdf

Yours,

Paul H.