Storiascopio · Era 1 of 12 · primary year 3
The Great Oxidation Event
about 2.4 billion years ago · The Earth's atmosphere and oceans
In short
For a very long time the oxygen made by microorganisms reacted with iron dissolved in the oceans and formed rocks with reddish stripes. When the iron could no longer soak it all up, oxygen began to build up in the air. For many microbes that lived without oxygen it was a poison, while others learnt to use it to breathe.
Why it matters It was a chemical turning point that opened the way for living things able to breathe oxygen.
Source: Nature Communications, 2021, “The Great Oxygenation Event as a consequence of ecological dynamics modulated by planetary change”
Where we are in the era “The Earth before us”
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about 13.8 billion years agoEvent 11 of 25about 66 million years ago
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/the-great-oxidation-event/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class