Why is Earth so oxygenated? New ‘mantle’ link discovered

An international team of scientists recently uncovered a significant connection between Earth’s early atmosphere and the chemistry of its deep mantle. 

They achieved this by investigating ancient magmas formed in subduction zones during the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), which occurred 2.1 to 2.4 billion years ago. 

The findings, published in Nature on August 31, offer essential insights into Earth’s geological evolution and reveal how the deep Earth and its mantle are closely related to changes in the atmosphere.

Earth’s ancient oxygen levels 

The Earth’s atmosphere, upon which we rely for…