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Fuels and Earth Science

The Earth's early atmosphere

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2

Overview

How volcanic activity produced an early atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide and water vapour with little or no oxygen, the small amounts of nitrogen, methane and ammonia, and why the evidence from Mars and ancient rocks is uncertain.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What produced the gases that made up the Earth's early atmosphere?

Key term

Name two gases that volcanoes released into the Earth's early atmosphere.

Key term

Suggest why volcanic activity was far greater on the early Earth than it is today.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What produced the gases that made up the Earth's early atmosphere?

    Model answer

    The gases were released by intense volcanic activity.

  2. 2

    Name two gases that volcanoes released into the Earth's early atmosphere.

    Model answer

    Volcanoes released carbon dioxide and water vapour.

  3. 3

    State approximately how long ago the Earth's early atmosphere formed.

    Model answer

    It began to form about 4.6 billion years ago, when the Earth itself formed.

  4. 4

    Suggest why volcanic activity was far greater on the early Earth than it is today.

    Model answer

    The young Earth was much hotter, so molten rock reached the surface far more often.

  5. 5

    Explain why scientists cannot be certain about how the early atmosphere formed.

    Model answer

    No measurements were made at the time, so ideas rest on indirect evidence from rocks and from other planets.

  6. 6

    Explain why the gases from volcanoes stayed around the Earth rather than escaping into space.

    Model answer

    The Earth's gravity was strong enough to hold the gases close to its surface.

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