Earth and The Early Atmosphere Timeline

Maddy Kreider
6th hr.
Nov. 28-30
Earth and the Early Atmosphere Timeline

The Phanerozoic Eon Begins
The Great Oxidation This current eon brought a proliferation of plant
The Hadean Eon Most of the new oxygen combined with organic and animal life. Vascular plants with tissues for
This part of Earth’s history is uncertain carbon to recreate carbon dioxide molecules while conducting water and nutrients colonized the
The First Atmosphere because there is no surviving sedimentary others were used for other chemical reactions. But land about 400 million years ago. Their
Giant hunks of rock, metal, and ice slammed into rock to offer clues about the environment. eventually, oxygen flooded the atmosphere and photosynthesis caused oxygen levels in the
the Earth’s surface. As material collided and There may have been several large asteroid touched off a mass of ecological disaster from atmosphere to rise. By about 300 million years
fused, there was intense heat and pressure. or comet impacts, but none as big as the one many of the anaerobic life forms. They were ago, extensive forests covered the Earth. They
Matter vaporized on impact, leaving puddles of that formed the Moon. Molten rock or magma poisoned by the abundance of oxygen. Other life pushed the oxygen levels higher and enabled an
magma. Many of the collisions released water oozed in some places and blasted out in forms adapted to thrive in the new conditions. The even greater diversity of life. Biology, geology,
vapor and other gases, which gradually formed a other's. Volcanoes on the land and sea floor rock record offers proof. At this time, oxygen astronomical events, and periodic changes in the
blanket of steam around the early Earth. This released heavier gases like carbon dioxide and formed the ozone layer--about 20 to 30 km above Earth’s position in orbit influenced the climate.
thickened over time becoming the first methane. There was still very little oxygen in the ground--protecting life on the Earth’s surface But overall, the atmosphere remained stable
atmosphere. the atmosphere. from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. enough for life to persist.
4.53 to 4.5 billion years ago… 3.8 to 2.5 billion years ago… 2.4 to 2.2 billion years ago…
4.55 billion years ago… 4.5 to 3.8 billion years ago… 2.4 billion years ago... 542 million years ago…
The Oceans and the Moon The Archean Eon Snowball Earths
Steam in the atmosphere collapsed and formed the Deep in the ocean, chemical-rich The rise of oxygen coupled with the reduction in
oceans. The young Earth settled down, but then hydrothermal venting may have contributed greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide.
something--about the size of Mars--slammed into to the first forms of life on Earth. These The Earth retained less of the Sun’s heat, and the
the planet. The two bodes coalesced and material first microbial organisms are thought to global climate became significantly colder. There was
was blasted outward. Debris from the impact have eventually spread throughout the mass glaciation and the Earth was encased in ice,
formed a ring of matter that orbited the Earth and Earth’s oceans. Stamatolities--mounds made often called a snowball Earth. The icy shell reflected
eventually became the Moon. The surface of the by microbes--populated the world’s sunlight, making it colder and colder. Volcanoes
Earth became molten again from the intense heat beaches. Some early microbes used the punched through the ice and volcanic carbon dioxide
and the oceans reformed a steamed atmosphere. sun’s energy for photosynthesis, but they gradually built up in the atmosphere. When the
When things finally cooled down again, the Earth’s didn’t release oxygen. However, life forms greenhouse effect became strong enough, the
crust hardened and steam settled back down to evolved that could use sunlight to split planet warmed and the ice melted. Scientists believe
reform the oceans. water molecules to release oxygen as a that there were three snowball Earth cycles over a
waste product. period of time.

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Maddy Kreider

Earth and the Early Atmosphere Timeline

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