Description

The Earth's primary atmosphere, which was similar to that of the gas giant planets, was soon lost, and a secondary atmosphere was established by outgassing from the early Earth and from colliding debris. The composition of this atmosphere was probably similar to present-day volcanic emissions but with a tiny percentage of photochemically produced oxygen. In this atmosphere, early anaerobic bacterial life evolved, including photosynthesising cyanobacteria that produced oxygen.

More from this issue

This article outlines the fundamental role that fieldwork plays in Earth science and the way we understand how the Earth works. It discusses the...

Jan 2012
Journal Article
Jan 2012
Journal Article

In this article we review some important software tools that have benefits for science teaching and we then describe ways in which the teacher has...

Jan 2012
Journal Article