Banded Iron Formations and evolution of the atmosphere
The time between the formation of the earth and the beginning of the Cambrian(about 570mya) is a 4000 my long period known as the Precambrian, this includes approximately 90% of geological time of which we know very little about as pre-Cambrian rocks are poorly exposed, many have been eroded or metamorphosed and fossils are seldom found.
The Precambrian has been divided into 3 Eons: 1.Hadean (4600-3800 mya of which there is no rock record) 2.Archean 3800-2500 mya) 3.Proterozoic 2500-570 mya.
The present atmosphere is greatly depleted in Ne, Xe and Kr which are inert gases that should be preserved in the atmosphere. This suggests that the earth’s initial atmosphere was lost early on either by boiling away during the magma ocean event or by being carried away by intense solar wind in the early solar system. At the end of the Hadean the present atmosphere and hydrosphere began to develop from volcanic emissions. It was......

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Title: Banded Iron Formations And The
Approximate Word Count: 1278
Approximate Pages: 6 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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