Time scale for for oxygenation of atmosphere by photosynthetic O2 producing cyanobacteria

Range 2200-2400 MYA
Organism Biosphere
Reference Ilana Berman-Frank, Pernilla Lundgren, Paul Falkowski. Nitrogen fixation and photosynthetic oxygen evolution in cyanobacteria. Res Microbiol. 2003 Apr154(3):157-64. p. 158 table 1 right column 2nd paragraph from topPubMed ID12706503
Method Present evidence based on paleosols and the isotopic fractionation of sulfur places the oxygenation of the atmosphere, resulting from cyanobacterial photosynthesis, between 2.4 and 2.2 Ga [refs 25,32,38,66 in article] (Fig. 1 p. 159).
Comments Oxygenation of the atmosphere resulted in a change in the partial pressure of oxygen (pO2), from <4×10^-6 prior to >0.03 atm [refs 54,60 in article] (Fig. 1). For appearance of photosynthesizing cyanobacteria ~3200 MYA see BNID 103790
Entered by Uri M
ID 105549