The Great Oxidation: When Microbes Changed the Sky

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The Great Oxidation: When Microbes Changed the Sky

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For much of early Earth, the atmosphere contained almost no free oxygen. Follow the evidence for the Great Oxidation Event, when microbial photosynthesis and a changing balance of chemical sinks allowed oxygen to persist, reshaping rocks, climate, oceans, and the possibilities for later life. Inside this episode: - Earth before oxygen accumulated in the atmosphere - How oxygenic photosynthesis changed the planetary balance - Sulfur isotopes, red beds, iron formations, and other evidence - Why oxygen sources and sinks mattered - Climate connections and the stepwise oxygenation of Earth Sources include peer-reviewed geochemistry and Earth-system research, NASA technical reviews, and published studies of early atmospheric oxygen. This episode is a researched narrative summary. Historical records may be incomplete, translated differently, or interpreted differently by scholars. We distinguish documented facts, estimates, disputed interpretations, and later stories where material. Corrections are logged and incorporated into future editions. Follow Earth Before Humans for more researched chapters from the planet's deep past.

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