Stratified Anoxic Chemistry of Early Ocean (IMAGE)

Washington University in St. Louis

Stratified Anoxic Chemistry of Early Ocean

Caption

Geochemists are accustomed to thinking of the Earth's oceans as a giant mixing bowl, but recent work has shown that at times the oceans were divided into realms of very different chemical character, as shown in this illustration. These geochemical complications might explain some of the delays in the evolution of early lifeforms.

Credit

David Fike/WUSTL

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