| Proterozoic |
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The Proterozoic ( representing a period before the first abundant complex life on Earth . The Proterozoic Eon extended from 2500 Ma to 542.0 ± 1.0 Ma (million years ago). The Proterozoic is the most recent part of the old informal Precambrian time. The Proterozoic consists of 3 geologic Era s, from oldest to youngest: The well-identified events were:
THE PROTEROZOIC RECORD The geologic record of the Proterozoic is much better than that for the preceding Archean . In contrast to the deep-water deposits of the Archean, the Proterozoic features many Strata that were laid down in extensive shallow Epicontinental Seas ; furthermore, many of these rocks are less Metamorphosed than Archean-age ones, and plenty are unaltered.1 Study of these rocks show that the eon featured massive, rapid Continental accretion (unique to the Proterozoic), Supercontinent Cycle s, and wholly-modern Orogenic activity.Stanley, 315-18, 329-32 The first known glaciations occurred during the Proterozoic, one began shortly after the beginning of the eon, while there were at least four during the Neoproterozoic, climaxing with the Snowball Earth of the Varangian glaciation.Stanley, 320-1, 325 THE BUILD-UP OF OXYGEN One of the most important events of the Proterozoic was the gathering up of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere. Though oxygen was undoubtedly released by Photosynthesis well back in Archean times, it could not build up to any significant degree until chemical sinks — Unoxidized Sulfur and Iron — had been filled; until roughly 2.3 billion years ago, oxygen was probably only 1% to 2% of its current level.Stanley, 323 Banded Iron Formation s, which provide most of the world's iron ore, were also a prominent chemical sink; most accumulation ceased after 1.9 billion years ago, either due to an increase in oxygen or a more thorough mixing of the oceanic water column.Stanley, 324 burial, which sequestered Organic Compound s that would have otherwise been oxidized by the atmosphere.Stanley, 325 PALEOGEOGRAPHY PROTEROZOIC LIFE The first advanced single-celled and multi-cellular life roughly coincides with the oxygen accumulation; this may have been due to an increase in the oxidized Nitrate s that Eukaryotes use, as opposed to Cyanobacteria . It was also during the Proterozoic that the first Symbiotic relationships between Mitochondria (for nearly all eukaryotes) and Chloroplast s (for Plant s and some Protist s only) and their hosts evolved.Stanley 321-2 The blossoming of eukaryotes such as Acritarch s did not preclude the expansion of cyanobacteria; in fact, stromatolites reached their greatest abundance and diversity during the Proterozoic, peaking roughly 1.2 billion years ago.Stanley, 321-3 Classically, the boundary between the Proterozoic and the Phanerozoic eons was set at the base of the Cambrian Period when the first fossils of animals known as Trilobite s and Archeocyathids appeared. In the second half of the 20th century, a number of fossil forms have been found in Proterozoic rocks, but the upper boundary of the Proterozoic has remained fixed at the base of the Cambrian , which is currently placed at 542 Ma. SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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