The study points to the source of the oxygen found on Earth

The unanswered question is: How is Joe a land Can it become oxygenated? After all, about 21% of the atmosphere consists of an important and “life-giving” element.

However, in the very distant past, between 2.8 and 2.5 billion years ago, this type of oxygen was practically non-existent here.

According to research conducted and published by Nature Geoscience, at least a small amount of elemental oxygen is believed to have originated from tectonic fountains Through the destruction and movement of the Earth’s crust.

Calm down, below we will explain in an easy to understand way.

a land in Archean era is possible

It is believed that between 2.5 and 4 billion years ago, period Archean Eonwhich accounts for about a third of planetary history.

Even taking into account that the Earth was of watery origin, it was surrounded by beautiful oceans, in addition to which gases emit an element called methane. Cellular life did not yet exist and all terrestrial activities were tectonic.

On our present planet, the dominant activity is plate tectonics, however, the main question for scientists is how their behavior was in the so-called Archean Era.

Revolutionary experience

To experience reveal mysterySamples of rocks from about 2,750 to 2,670 million years old, granite from far eastern Quebec, Canada, were collected in order to investigate the level of oxidation of this new magma.

Scientists were able to measure the oxidation state of igneous rocks and understand how zirconium crystals withstand high pressures and temperatures even after the crystallization process.

It was also possible to measure the escape of oxygen in the Arkanian magma.

Completely revealing facts for study! Oxygen is formed from water

Some important discoveries about the Archean period show that oxidized magma did indeed form 2.7 billion years ago.

However, the known oxygen in this magma could have come through another source and end up being released into our area. atmospheres in the face of volcanic eruptions.

Although the exact mechanism is still not clear, the occurrence of this magma suggests that it was the process of subduction, when ocean water was pushed hundreds of kilometers into the planet, that would generate the so-called free oxygen that we know.

Thus, we understand that Earth is the only place in the world Solar System where plate tectonics and active subduction indicate a possibility Life on other planets of rocky originAnd that the oxygen known to us came from a much hotter, deeper, and unknown source than we had imagined.