Neoarchean
Sign in to saveThe Neoarchean ( ; also spelled Neoarchaean) is the last geologic era in the Archean Eon that spans from 2800 to 2500 million years ago—the period being defined chronometrically and not referencing a specific level in a rock section on Earth. The era is marked by major developments in complex life and continental formation.
Key facts
- Geologic timespan.name
- Neoarchean
- Geologic timespan.color
- Neoarchean
- Geologic timespan.top_bar
- all time
- Geologic timespan.image_map
- 2650 Ma paleoglobe.png
- Geologic timespan.caption_map
- A reconstruction of the Earth's continents during the middle Neoarchean, c. 2.65 Ga.
- Geologic timespan.timeline
- Neoarchean
- Geologic timespan.proposed_boundaries1
- 2780–2420 Ma
- Geologic timespan.proposed_boundaries1_ref
- Gradstein et al., 2012
- Geologic timespan.proposed_subdivision1
- Methanian Period, 2780–2630 Ma
- Geologic timespan.proposed_subdivision1_coined
- Gradstein et al., 2012
- Geologic timespan.proposed_subdivision2
- Siderian Period, 2630–2420
- Geologic timespan.proposed_subdivision2_coined
- Gradstein et al., 2012
- Geologic timespan.name_formality
- Formal
- Geologic timespan.alternate_spellings
- Neoarchaean
- Geologic timespan.celestial_body
- earth
- Geologic timespan.usage
- Global (ICS)
- Geologic timespan.timescales_used
- ICS Time Scale
- Geologic timespan.chrono_unit
- Era
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Complex life
- Continental formation
- See also
- References
- External links
The Neoarchean ( ; also spelled Neoarchaean) is the last geologic era in the Archean Eon that spans from 2800 to 2500 million years ago—the period being defined chronometrically and not referencing a specific level in a rock section on Earth. The era is marked by major developments in complex life and continental formation.
==Complex life== left|thumb|Semi-log plot|Semi-logarithmic graph showing the increase of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere through Earth's geological history This era saw the rise of oxygen in the atmosphere after oxygenic photosynthesis evolved in cyanobacteria as early as the Mesoarchean era. The environmental changes that occurred in the Neoarchean such as its developing atmospheric and soil compositions drastically differentiated the era from others in its encouragement of microbial metabolisms to evolve and diversify. The era could have also seen pre-biotic organic molecules being brought to Earth through meteorites, comets, or through abiotic reactions. The growth of juvenile continental crust as well as the onset of plate tectonics in the Archean allowed for the colonization of a larger variety of niches by microorganisms through increasing the number of rock types present and thereby increasing the surface's chemical diversity. Some noted metabolisms were able to flourish due to changes in the availability of certain metals while others faced famine: an increase in copper present in the environment in the Neoarchean likely favored aerobic metabolisms.