Researchers from the University of Tokyo propose volcanic activity billions of years ago created conditions critical for Earth’s first oxygen-rich atmosphere. Their study, published in *Communications Earth & Environment*, links massive ancient eruptions to temporary “whiffs” of oxygen detected before the Great Oxygenation Event (GOE) 2.5 billion years ago.
Volcanic CO₂ warmed the climate and enriched oceans with nutrients like phosphate, fueling photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria. These bursts of marine life briefly increased atmospheric oxygen but were unstable, creating intermittent whiffs recorded in geological data. The findings suggest these events paved the way for the GOE, which allowed complex life to evolve.
The team used numerical models simulating interactions between Earth’s biology, geology, and chemistry during the late Archean eon (3–2.5 billion years ago), highlighting how volcanic cycles drove early oxygen fluctuations.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-03-volcanic-billions-years-stage-earth.html