Chemical signatures in shale, the Earth's most common sedimentary rock, point to a rapid rise of land above the ocean 2.4 billion years ago that possibly triggered dramatic changes in climate and ...

And about 2.4 billion years ago, it’s thought that the total amount of landmass on Earth would have been about two-thirds of what we see today, with the emergence of new land happening rapidly.

Scientists believe a major glaciation event occurred in Earth's history, from approximately 2.4 to 2.1 billion years ago, which caused the planet to completely freeze up.

These fossils, dated to 1.75 billion years ago, have shifted our understanding of the timeline for this life-sustaining process, pushing its origins back by at least 1.2 billion years.

This study shows Earth may have harbored complex life 2 billion years ago. ... studied sedimentary rocks to derive the amount of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere between 2 and 2.4 billion years ago.

DULLSVILLE Earth’s environment stagnated around 1.8 billion years ago. The breakup of the Nuna supercontinent, illustrated here during its disassembly 1.38 billion years ago, should have ...

Transient marine bottom water oxygenation on continental shelves by 2.65 billion years ago. Nature Geoscience. Published online April 16, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41561-025-01681-9.

Tracing the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere suggests photosynthesis evolved at least 2.4 billion years ago, although the rise in oxygen levels turns out to be impressively complicated.

A hidden source of clean energy could power the planet for more than a hundred thousand years if tapped into, according to new research. Sources of hydrogen could be hiding amid the Earth's crust ...

The measurements could help resolve previous arguments whether the emergence of land between 1.1 and 3.5 billion years ago was gradual or stepwise, scientists said. Based on his own previous modeling ...

The Earth's early mantle was too soft and hot to support large mountain ranges and plateaus. But around 2.4 billion years ago, the mantle cooled and hardened, giving sudden rise to what is now ...