Chapter 8 section 4

IRON OXIDATION

scientists look for clues about the past of the *

.atmosphere
.some of these clues are in the chemistry of rock*
iron oxide is one compound in these rocks (it tells a lot *
about the amount of oxygen in the Earths ancient
.atmosphere

:Oxidation
.Is the combination of a substance with oxygen
Iron +Oxygen iron oxides (Magnetite
.(Fe2O4)/Hematite (Fe2O3)
.Dissolved in water come from atmosphere

:Banded iron formations

.Alternating dark and light layers of rock
And some of these layers contain iron-rich minerals
(Magnetite and Hematite )
associated with greenstone belts moved onto the
continents by
Accretion (in subduction zone of adjacent oceanic crust
.and welding to the continental margin
some of the layers are a fine-grained silica rock called
chert is a chemical sedimentary rock that forms when
tiny tiny Quartz crystals grow from a silica –rich
.solution

Iron and silica are the chemicals found in the iron –rich *
.and chert layers that form banded iron formations

During the late Hadean Eon the oceans contained vast *

.amounts of iron and silica
source of iron from underwater volcanoes from hydro *
thermal vents (material from upper montle mixed
.seawater

another source for iron and silica in the oceanic was *

.earth's crust

Earths young basaltic crust contain iron and silica was *

.exposed to the warm
Atmosphere weathering released iron and silica
.from the crustriveroceans
Banded iron formations developed in two major setting :
(3.5-2.5 billion y.ago )
a)formed in deep marine environments (where volcanism
.released iron and silica )
b)formed in shallow basins along the margins of
.continents
reflects the competing influences of hydrothermal *
processes

The rise of oxygen must have come from ancient

.cyanobacteria (photosynthesis) O2 is raised

First prokaryotic first Eukaryotic first -

.vertebratesland planfirst mammals

science 1.8 billion years ago the rate of dissolved iron in-
ocean water decrease = O2 increase in atmosphere=less
O2 was drawn in ocean = banded iron formation stopped
.formation
increase O2 increase ozone(protective layer around *
Earth which absorbs UV radiation that strikes the
atmosphere)and this made the continents a more
. hospitable area for organisms to live