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Precambrian Oceans, Temperature of

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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Ocean; Temperature of

Definition

The most ancient traces of life dated from about 3.8 Ga. At that time, earth’s surface was no longer the magma ocean that solidified 4.35 Ga ago or earlier. The primitive atmosphere inherited from the presolar nebula had disappeared, being replaced by a secondary atmosphere derived in part from the outgassing of the mantle and in part brought to the surface by extraterrestrial impactors and micrometeorites. This atmosphere was dominated not only by N2but also by several greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor. The extent of surfaces covered by the oceans is unknown, but it can be postulated that – since the continents had not yet formed – the absence of the present-day bimodal distribution of elevations on earth caused water to cover most of the surface of the Archean earth. Undoubtedly, sedimentary rocks existed on earth since at least 3.85 Ga ago as shown by unambiguous sedimentary structures recorded from rocks in...

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References and Further Reading

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Origine et Evolution (O&E), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, IMPMC-UMR 7590 CNRS, 57 rue Cuvier 75005 Paris, France

    François Robert

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  1. François Robert
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Correspondence to François Robert .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  2. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

    William M. Irvine

  3. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  6. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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Robert, F. (2021). Precambrian Oceans, Temperature of. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1099-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1099-5

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Precambrian Oceans, Temperature of
    Published:
    05 December 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1099-5

  2. Original

    Precambrian Oceans, Temperature of
    Published:
    04 May 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1099-4

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