The Earths Atmosphere Flashcards
What did this activity lead to
Released gases that formed the early atmosphere and water vapour that condensed to form oceans
What is one theory of how life’s was formed
The interaction between hydrocarbons, ammonia and lightning
What did plants and algae do
Produced the oxygen that is now in the atmosphere
What happens to most of the carbon from the carbon dioxide in the air
Gradually became locked up in sedimentary rocks as carbonates and fuels
What happens nowadays
The release of co2 by burning fossil fuels increases the level of co2 in the atmosphere
What is air
A mixture of gases with different boiling points and can be fractionally distilled to provide a source of raw materials
What was wegners theory
Continental drift
He believed the land Pangaea broke into smaller chunks which moved apart
He claimed these chunks were our modern day continents were slowly still drifting apart
Why wasn’t he accepted for many years
Geologists said this was impossible
Wegner had used inaccurate data in his calculations
What happened during the earths first billion years
Intense volcanic activity
