Archean

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/archean

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Which continent is Archean in?Emergence of early protocontinents and stabilization of the oldest continental crust
2. What is the eon duration?Approximately 1.5 billion years (4,031 to 2,500 Ma)
3. What is the atmospheric state?Reducing atmosphere, characterized by methane and absence of significant free oxygen
4. What was the Archean Eon and when did it happen?The Archean Eon was a very early time on Earth, from about 4,031 to 2,500 million years ago, when the first continents and life began.
5. Why was the atmosphere different during the Archean?During the Archean the air had almost no oxygen and was full of gases like methane, ammonia, and water vapor.

Prokaryotic Life: The earliest forms of life, characterized by simple cells lacking a nucleus and organelles.