Crustal growth, surface processes, and atmospheric evolution on the early Earth
- 1 January 1995
- journal article
- Published by Geological Society of London in Geological Society, London, Special Publications
- Vol. 95 (1) , 11-25
- https://doi.org/10.1144/gsl.sp.1995.095.01.02
Abstract
Evolution of the atmosphere between 3.9 and 1.8 Ga can be related to changes in physical, chemical and biological surface processes. Changes in surface processes, in turn, took place in response to growth of continents. Growth of stable continents favoured expansion of epeiric seas and resultant increase in oxygen productivity. Prior to 2.6 Ga, continents probably comprised less than 10% of the Earth’s crust and, as a consequence, physical sedimentation and volcanism, and chemical and biological sedimentation took place mainly in oceanic and island-arc settings. Following major crustal growth at 2.6 Ga, surface processes became dominated by widespread stromatolite growth and iron and manganese precipitation in vast epicontinental seas.Keywords
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