1. a) What are the major global events that occurred in the Proterozoic? (3)
Three global events occurred during the Proterozoic: The oxygen revolution: During the Proterozoic, biotic system were being established, which gave rise to biomass of the prokaryotic organisms like the “benthic and planktonic photosynthesizing organisms” Due to the vast developing diversity of environment, organisms could well adapt to these various environments, which increased the input of oxygen on Earth. Hence, in order for the oxygen to be accumulated in the atmosphere, Iron and Sulfur like oxygen-sinks had to be depleted.
Neoproterozoic ice ages: During these ice ages, two major glaciers were formed. One of which was formed before 600 Ma, and the
…show more content…
When oxygen and nitrogen combine in water, it forms nitrate, which is an essential chemical for eukaryotic algae; however, cyanobacteria do not need nitrate for their survival, contrary, they use elemental nitrogen. This way, even after the evolution of true algae, even though in fewer quantity, cyanobacteria remained widespread, and oxygen was accumulated.
c) How do geologists know that the glaciation was widespread early in the
Proterozoic? (2)
Glaciation that are widespread can be identified based on the subglacial tillite, which is a thick layer of sediments that settle down beneath glaciers or ice caps. On top of this subglacial tillite layer is deposited marine carbonate, also known as cap carbonate. Based on their paleolatitude designated by glacial sediments’ paleomagnetism, it can be determined that these deposits are from equator region. The interaction between two types of sediments, marine (like carbonate) and subgacially deposited sediments, indicate that the glaciers had approached marine coastlines.
2. a) What reasons are there for the Wopmay orogen being referred to as a
“modern-style” orogen? (4)
It is said during the Archean period, the temperature of Earth was higher than compared to during the Wopmay orogen tectonism. This was the case because of the heavy, widespread and firm crust of the Earth. Likewise the Cordillera found in modern day west part of Canada, orogeny has three structurally
In the following space, explain the role of fossils in developing the Geologic column. Your explanation must be between 200 and 300 words.
Microscopic organisms known as cyanobacteria are interesting for the following reasons: [SELECT ALL THAT APPLY] Select one or more: A. Oxygen produced by their photosynthesis is thought to be responsible for the "great oxygenation event" about 2.3 billion years ago. B. The methane they produce is a greenhouse gas that could have helped warm the early Earth, helping to resolve the Early-faint-Sun paradox. C. The chloroplasts that carry out photosynthesis in green plants are evolutionary descendents of early cyanobacteria. D. They are known to be the earliest forms of life on Earth.
There have been at least five major ice ages in the pass one billion years. The most recent was called the Pleistocene Ice Age, which began about two million years ago. Interglacial periods occurred where temperatures increased slightly and the glaciers would melt and retreat.
About 225 million years, all of the world’s land was contained in one supercontinent, named Pangea. This supercontinent would eventually separate itself into the continents that are known today, due to continuous movement of the earth’s tectonic plates, which led to major shifting and folding of the earth’s crust. This shifting formed many of the mountain ranges that exist today, such as the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains. However, the time of Pangea’s separation into multiple continents and the time of the formation of the mountain ranges aren’t synonymous; for instance, the Appalachians were most likely formed before Pangea’s separation. About some 2 million years ago, a Great Ice Age befell the earth, which caused a
The glaciation is very confusing to those who don't know about glaciers so here is some background information. The last glacial advance started about 75,000 years ago and the last
The Slate Belt bioregion is nested within the Great Valley Section of the Valley and Ridge Province that was formed by thrust and fault folding during the Late Ordovician period through and Late Paleozoic era.(Bailey,1992; Geyer, 1979;Van Diver, 1990). During this time Taconian
Although it may not feel like it, we are currently in an ice age today. An ice age is just a period of time when the Earth’s climate faces a constant and drastic decrease in temperature. Periods of colder temperature during an ice age have been called "glaciations" because they result in something being covered by glaciers or ice sheets. Shorter-term, irregular intervals of warmer temperatures have been called "interglacials", which is what we are currently living in today. However, some scientists believe that the climate may dramatically decrease in the near future, and we could see glaciers return again like we did in the last glacial period. This last glacial period is referred to as “The Ice Age.” It was the most recent glacial period within our current ice age occurring in the
Glaciers have helped define the topography of earth for many years. A glacier is a large mass of ice that has been compacted of snow and ice for a long period of time. The ice age we will be focusing on is the Pleistocene era, which was “a period that began about 2.5 million years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago” (513). This was the most recent ice age where it helped formed our present-day lands. During this time, ice covered about 19 million square miles which was about 1/3 of earth’s land surface (515). Many parts of all the continents were covered with ice and that had a great effect on our topography due to the glaciers it created.
During the Pre-Cambrian era specifically the Proterozoic periods’ there was numerous orogenic events that were crucial in shaping the Pre-Cambrian craton. The first major orogenic event in the early part of the Proterozoic was the Penokean orogeny, which is shown in the record by major deformations and some high-grade metamorphic rocks, and it also includes some igneous rocks in the form of intrusions. These were followed by andesitic volcanism over the entire region, and the appearance of granite. Next, there was some low-grade metamorphism and the appearances of plutons over the area in the Middle Proterozoic. Rocks that were involved with the Penokean orogenic event are shown in the Superior province on top of the basement rock, and they
Late Devonian paleoclimate proxy records indicate substantial sea level variations, however a thorough understanding of the Late Devonian climate and the causes of these fluctuations remain uncertain. Numerous theories, including glaciation, bolide impacts, global anoxia, and the spreading of land plants are attributed to these events. This paper attempts to test the plausibility of the glaciation hypothesis by applying Late Devonian boundary conditions to a general circulation model (GCM). A Late Devonian paleo-reconstruction is combined with soil and vegetation, pCO2, and obliquity parameters. Temperature and precipitation patterns indicate that it is possible for mountain glaciers to form in regions of Gondwana that have both high latitude and altitude. However, because there is a low temperature gradient between the equator and poles, the climate is comparable to post-industrial greenhouse climates. Therefore, these GCM simulations provide a greater understanding of Late Devonian climate conditions and add validity to Late Devonian glaciation.
They found glacial sediments to be situated at low latitudes, a “distributed repartition of glacial deposits from low to high latitudes”, strongly supports the existence of a global Neoproterozoic glaciation (5).
Increased oxygen levels make aerobic respiration more effective; increased aerobic respiration is required to support larger bodies and more active movements. Oxygen levels reached a critical threshold at the start of the Cambrian explosion, making the evolution of colossal, mobile animals possible. Additionally, oxygen is an important gas and resource used by multicellular animals to fuel metabolism. At substantially low levels of oxygen, these organisms can hardly function very well and without it, they initially cannot survive. Some scientists suggest that photosynthesis may have caused a rise in the amount of oxygen in the seas and atmosphere near the beginning of the Cambrian period, triggering the evolution of larger, more complex animals with respiratory and circulatory
Slowly over time, the glaciers began to increase in size and suck up the ocean water and lower the sea levels. As the sea levels lowered, land between
The creation of marine isotope stages we know today was a carminative effort between several scientists and research institutions across decades. It first started with Cesare Emiliani who transferred to the University of Miami’s Institute of Marine Science in 1957. Emiliani had been investigating the cause and nature of Quaternary glaciations by examining foraminifera fossils from the marine sedimentary record for the Pleistocene Age. Moving to the University of Miami offered new opportunities for Emiliani to work with ongoing drilling projects and trained individuals. Emiliani’s work was heavily influenced by Harold Urey’s 1947 work on
Start from 1880, the average temperature rises around 1.4℉ in the following 130 years. The speed of increasing temperature is actually double in the past 50 years than the past 100 years. As a result, increase temperature accelerated the speed of glacier melting and increased