Mesoarchean Era

E234966

The Mesoarchean Era is a division of early Earth history, roughly 3.2 to 2.8 billion years ago, marked by the stabilization of continental crust and the continued evolution of early life.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Mesoarchean Era canonical 4

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Archean subdivision
geologic era
associatedWith early oxygenic photosynthesis
low but increasing atmospheric oxygen levels locally
atmosphericState largely oxygen-poor atmosphere
biosignaturesInclude carbon isotope fractionation indicative of biological activity
stromatolitic carbonates
biosphereDominatedBy prokaryotic microorganisms
characterizedBy anoxic atmosphere
continued evolution of early life
development of more stable cratons
greenstone belt formation
growth of continental nuclei
high heat flow from Earth’s interior
microbial life dominance
photosynthetic microbial communities
significant volcanic activity
stabilization of continental crust
stromatolite development
climate faint young Sun conditions
likely greenhouse-gas-rich atmosphere
definedBy International Commission on Stratigraphy
surface form: International Commission on Stratigraphy (conceptually, though not formally ratified as a chronostratigraphic unit)
duration approximately 400 million years
endTime 2.8 billion years ago
environmentalConditions higher global heat flow than present day
hotter mantle than present day
lack of complex multicellular life
followedBy Neoarchean Era
follows Paleoarchean Era
geologicSignificance important for formation of long-lived cratonic blocks
major phase of continental crust stabilization
hasRepresentativeCratons Kaapvaal Craton
Pilbara Craton
Superior craton
surface form: Superior Craton (older parts)
hydrosphereState presence of liquid water oceans
lifeEvolutionStage early diversification of microbial ecosystems
partOf Archean Eon
positionInArchean third era of the Archean Eon
precededBy early Archean crustal growth phases
rockRecordIncludes banded iron formations
komatiitic lavas
tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite suites
startTime 3.2 billion years ago
succeededBy further continental stabilization in the Neoarchean
temporalRelationToEarthFormation about 1.3 to 1.7 billion years after Earth formed
timeScaleCategory Precambrian geologic time division
usedIn Precambrian Supereon
surface form: Precambrian time scale

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Precambrian Supereon contains Mesoarchean Era
Archean Eon subdividedInto Mesoarchean Era
Paleoarchean Era precedes Mesoarchean Era
Neoarchean Era follows Mesoarchean Era