Earth:Paleoproterozoic

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Short description: First era of the Proterozoic Eon
Paleoproterozoic
2500 – 1600 Ma
Paleoproterozoic stromatolites Franceville.jpg
Paleoproterozoic stromatolites
Chronology
Proposed redefinition(s)2420–1780 Ma
Gradstein et al., 2012
Proposed subdivisionsOxygenian Period, 2420–2250 Ma

Gradstein et al., 2012
Jatulian/Eukaryian Period, 2250–2060 Ma
Gradstein et al., 2012
Columbian Period, 2060–1780 Ma

Gradstein et al., 2012
Etymology
Name formalityFormal
Alternate spelling(s)Palaeoproterozoic
Usage information
Celestial bodyEarth
Regional usageGlobal (ICS)
Time scale(s) usedICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unitEra
Stratigraphic unitErathem
Time span formalityFormal
Lower boundary definitionDefined Chronometrically
Upper boundary definitionDefined Chronometrically

The Paleoproterozoic Era[4] (also spelled Palaeoproterozoic) is the first of the three sub-divisions (eras) of the Proterozoic eon, and also the longest era of the Earth's geological history, spanning from 2,500 to 1,600 million years ago (2.5–1.6 Ga). It is further subdivided into four geologic periods, namely the Siderian, Rhyacian, Orosirian and Statherian.

Paleontological evidence suggests that the Earth's rotational rate ~1.8 billion years ago equated to 20-hour days, implying a total of ~450 days per year.[5] It was during this era that the continents first stabilized.[clarification needed]

Atmosphere

Main pages: Earth:Prebiotic atmosphere, Earth:Geological history of oxygen, and Earth:Great Oxygenation Event

The Earth's atmosphere were originally a weakly reducing atmosphere consisting largely of nitrogen, methane, ammonia, carbon dioxide and inert gases,[6] somewhat comparable to Titan's atmosphere.[7] When oxygenic photosynthesis evolved in cyanobacteria during the Mesoarchean, the increasing amount of byproduct dioxygen began to deplete the reductants in the ocean, land surface and the atmosphere. Eventually all surface reductants (particularly ferrous iron, sulfur and atmospheric methane) were exhausted, and the atmospheric free oxygen levels soared permanently during the Siderian and Rhyacian periods in an aerochemical event called the Great Oxidation Event, which brought atmospheric oxygen from near none to up to 10% of the modern level.[8]

Emergence of eukaryotes and complex life

At the beginning of the preceding Archean eon, almost all existing lifeforms were single-cell prokaryotic anaerobic organisms whose metabolism was based on a form of cellular respiration that did not require oxygen, and autotrophs were either chemosynthetic or relied upon anoxygenic photosynthesis. After the Great Oxygenation Event, the then mainly archaea-dominated anaerobic microbial mats were devastated as free oxygen is highly reactive and biologically toxic to cellular structures. This was compounded by a 300-million-year-long global icehouse event known as the Huronian glaciation — at least partly due to the depletion of atmospheric methane, a powerful greenhouse gas — resulted in what is widely considered one of the first and most significant mass extinctions on Earth.[9][10] The organisms that thrived after the extinction were mainly aerobes that evolved bioactive antioxidants and eventually aerobic respiration, and surviving anaerobes were forced to live symbiotically alongside aerobes in hybrid colonies, which enabled the evolution of mitochondria in eukaryotic organisms.

Many crown node eukaryotes (from which the modern-day eukaryotic lineages would have arisen) have been approximately dated to around the time of the Paleoproterozoic Era.[11][12][13] While there is some debate as to the exact time at which eukaryotes evolved,[14][15] current understanding places it somewhere in this era.[16][17][18] Statherian fossils from the Changcheng Group in North China provide evidence that eukaryotic life was already diverse by the late Palaeoproterozoic.[19]

Geological events

During this era, the earliest global-scale continent-continent collision belts developed. The associated continent and mountain building events are represented by the 2.1–2.0 Ga Trans-Amazonian and Eburnean orogens in South America and West Africa; the ~2.0 Ga Limpopo Belt in southern Africa; the 1.9–1.8 Ga Trans-Hudson, Penokean, Taltson–Thelon, Wopmay, Ungava and Torngat orogens in North America, the 1.9–1.8 Ga Nagssugtoqidian Orogen in Greenland; the 1.9–1.8 Ga Kola–Karelia, Svecofennian, Volhyn-Central Russian, and Pachelma orogens in Baltica (Eastern Europe); the 1.9–1.8 Ga Akitkan Orogen in Siberia; the ~1.95 Ga Khondalite Belt; the ~1.85 Ga Trans-North China Orogen in North China; and the 1.8-1.6 Ga Yavapai and Mazatzal orogenies in southern North America.

That pattern of collision belts supports the formation of a Proterozoic supercontinent named Columbia or Nuna.[20][21] That continental collisions suddenly led to mountain building at large scale is interpreted as having resulted from increased biomass and carbon burial during and after the Great Oxidation Event: Subducted carbonaceous sediments are hypothesized to have lubricated compressive deformation and led to crustal thickening.[22]

Felsic volcanism in what is now northern Sweden led to the formation of the Kiruna and Arvidsjaur porphyries.[23]

The lithospheric mantle of Patagonia's oldest blocks formed.[24]


See also

References

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  2. "palaeo-". palaeo-. Oxford University Press. http://www.lexico.com/definition/palaeo-.  "Proterozoic". Proterozoic. Oxford University Press. http://www.lexico.com/definition/Proterozoic. 
  3. "Proterozoic". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Proterozoic. 
  4. There are several ways of pronouncing Paleoproterozoic, including IPA: /ˌpæliˌprtərəˈzɪk, ˌp-, -liə-, -ˌprɒt-, -ər-, -trə-, -tr-/ PAL-ee-oh-PROH-tər-ə-ZOH-ik, PAY-, -⁠PROT-, -⁠ər-oh-, -⁠trə-, -⁠troh-.[2][3]
  5. Pannella, Giorgio (1972). "Paleontological evidence on the Earth's rotational history since early precambrian". Astrophysics and Space Science 16 (2): 212. doi:10.1007/BF00642735. Bibcode1972Ap&SS..16..212P. 
  6. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Zahnle
  7. Trainer, Melissa G.; Pavlov, Alexander A.; DeWitt, H. Langley; Jimenez, Jose L.; McKay, Christopher P.; Toon, Owen B.; Tolbert, Margaret A. (2006-11-28). "Organic haze on Titan and the early Earth". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103 (48): 18035–18042. doi:10.1073/pnas.0608561103. ISSN 0027-8424. PMID 17101962. 
  8. Ossa Ossa, Frantz; Spangenberg, Jorge E.; Bekker, Andrey; König, Stephan; Stüeken, Eva E.; Hofmann, Axel; Poulton, Simon W.; Yierpan, Aierken et al. (15 September 2022). "Moderate levels of oxygenation during the late stage of Earth's Great Oxidation Event". Earth and Planetary Science Letters 594: 117716. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117716. 
  9. Hodgskiss, Malcolm S. W.; Crockford, Peter W.; Peng, Yongbo; Wing, Boswell A.; Horner, Tristan J. (27 August 2019). "A productivity collapse to end Earth's Great Oxidation". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 116 (35): 17207–17212. doi:10.1073/pnas.1900325116. PMID 31405980. Bibcode2019PNAS..11617207H. 
  10. Margulis, Lynn; Sagan, Dorion (1997-05-29) (in en). Microcosmos: Four Billion Years of Microbial Evolution. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520210646. https://books.google.com/books?id=eo_sMMRxgAUC&q=oxygen+holocaust&pg=PA99. 
  11. Mänd, Kaarel; Planavsky, Noah J.; Porter, Susannah M.; Robbins, Leslie J.; Wang, Changle; Kraitsmann, Timmu; Paiste, Kärt; Paiste, Päärn et al. (15 April 2022). "Chromium evidence for protracted oxygenation during the Paleoproterozoic". Earth and Planetary Science Letters 584: 117501. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117501. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012821X22001376. Retrieved 15 December 2022. 
  12. Hedges, S Blair; Chen, Hsiong; Kumar, Sudhir; Wang, Daniel YC; Thompson, Amanda S; Watanabe, Hidemi (2001-09-12). "A genomic timescale for the origin of eukaryotes". BMC Evolutionary Biology 1: 4. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-1-4. ISSN 1471-2148. PMID 11580860. 
  13. Hedges, S Blair; Blair, Jaime E; Venturi, Maria L; Shoe, Jason L (2004-01-28). "A molecular timescale of eukaryote evolution and the rise of complex multicellular life". BMC Evolutionary Biology 4: 2. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-4-2. ISSN 1471-2148. PMID 15005799. 
  14. Rodríguez-Trelles, Francisco; Tarrío, Rosa; Ayala, Francisco J. (2002-06-11). "A methodological bias toward overestimation of molecular evolutionary time scales". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 99 (12): 8112–8115. doi:10.1073/pnas.122231299. ISSN 0027-8424. PMID 12060757. Bibcode2002PNAS...99.8112R. 
  15. Stechmann, Alexandra; Cavalier-Smith, Thomas (2002-07-05). "Rooting the eukaryote tree by using a derived gene fusion". Science 297 (5578): 89–91. doi:10.1126/science.1071196. ISSN 1095-9203. PMID 12098695. Bibcode2002Sci...297...89S. 
  16. Ayala, Francisco José; Rzhetsky, Andrey; Ayala, Francisco J. (1998-01-20). "Origin of the metazoan phyla: Molecular clocks confirm paleontological estimates". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 95 (2): 606–611. doi:10.1073/pnas.95.2.606. ISSN 0027-8424. PMID 9435239. Bibcode1998PNAS...95..606J. 
  17. Wang, D Y; Kumar, S; Hedges, S B (1999-01-22). "Divergence time estimates for the early history of animal phyla and the origin of plants, animals and fungi.". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 266 (1415): 163–171. doi:10.1098/rspb.1999.0617. PMID 10097391. 
  18. Javaux, Emmanuelle J.; Lepot, Kevin (January 2018). "The Paleoproterozoic fossil record: Implications for the evolution of the biosphere during Earth's middle-age". Earth-Science Reviews 176: 68–86. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.10.001. 
  19. Miao, Lanyun; Moczydłowska, Małgorzata; Zhu, Shixing; Zhu, Maoyan (February 2019). "New record of organic-walled, morphologically distinct microfossils from the late Paleoproterozoic Changcheng Group in the Yanshan Range, North China". Precambrian Research 321: 172–198. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2018.11.019. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301926818301827. Retrieved 29 December 2022. 
  20. Zhao, Guochun; Cawood, Peter A; Wilde, Simon A; Sun, Min (2002). "Review of global 2.1–1.8 Ga orogens: implications for a pre-Rodinia supercontinent". Earth-Science Reviews 59 (1–4): 125–162. doi:10.1016/S0012-8252(02)00073-9. Bibcode2002ESRv...59..125Z. 
  21. Zhao, Guochun; Sun, M.; Wilde, Simon A.; Li, S.Z. (2004). "A Paleo-Mesoproterozoic supercontinent: assembly, growth and breakup". Earth-Science Reviews 67 (1–2): 91–123. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2004.02.003. Bibcode2004ESRv...67...91Z. http://www.gt-crust.ru/jour/article/view/518. 
  22. John Parnell, Connor Brolly: Increased biomass and carbon burial 2 billion years ago triggered mountain building. Nature Communications Earth & Environment, 2021, doi:10.1038/s43247-021-00313-5 (Open Access).
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  24. Schilling, Manuel Enrique; Carlson, Richard Walter; Tassara, Andrés; Conceição, Rommulo Viveira; Berotto, Gustavo Walter; Vásquez, Manuel; Muñoz, Daniel; Jalowitzki, Tiago et al. (2017). "The origin of Patagonia revealed by Re-Os systematics of mantle xenoliths". Precambrian Research 294: 15–32. doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2017.03.008. Bibcode2017PreR..294...15S. 

External links