Great Oxidation event
Fun Facts
Earth Pre-event
References
Fun Facts
- The oceans were red because of the high iron content- This event probably triggered a global cooling - Cyanobacteria are still here, and one of the oldest known life forms - Without this event, complex life would not exist
References
Lyons, T. W., Reinhard, C. T., & Planavsky, N. J. (2014). The rise of oxygen in Earth’s early ocean and atmosphere. Nature, 506(7488), 307–315. Schirrmeister, B. E., Sánchez-Baracaldo, P., & Wacey, D. (2015). Cyanobacteria and the Great Oxidation Event: Evidence from genes and fossils. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
What Was the World Like? The earth had very little oxygen prior to this event. The oceans were a reddish orange because of the iron within them. The atmosphere was full of volcanic gas, CO2, and methane. The only life was single celled bacteria.
Great Oxidation event
Jonah Murray
Created on February 23, 2026
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Transcript
Great Oxidation event
Fun Facts
Earth Pre-event
References
Fun Facts
- The oceans were red because of the high iron content- This event probably triggered a global cooling - Cyanobacteria are still here, and one of the oldest known life forms - Without this event, complex life would not exist
References
Lyons, T. W., Reinhard, C. T., & Planavsky, N. J. (2014). The rise of oxygen in Earth’s early ocean and atmosphere. Nature, 506(7488), 307–315. Schirrmeister, B. E., Sánchez-Baracaldo, P., & Wacey, D. (2015). Cyanobacteria and the Great Oxidation Event: Evidence from genes and fossils. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
What Was the World Like? The earth had very little oxygen prior to this event. The oceans were a reddish orange because of the iron within them. The atmosphere was full of volcanic gas, CO2, and methane. The only life was single celled bacteria.