Statherian

Statherian
1800 – 1600 Ma Pha. Proterozoic Archean Had.
Map of Earth during the Statherian, c. 1740 Ma^[citation needed]
Chronology
−1800 — – −1780 — – −1760 — – −1740 — – −1720 — – −1700 — – −1680 — – −1660 — – −1640 — – −1620 — – −1600 — – P a l e o p r o t e r o z o i c M ♇ Orosirian Statherian Calymmian       ← Beginning of the Boring Billion ← Rafatazmia evolves, Chuanlinggou Formation preserves oldest macroscopic eukaryotes Events of the Statherian Period. Vertical axis scale: Millions of years ago
Etymology
Name formality	Formal
Usage information
Celestial body	Earth
Regional usage	Global (ICS)
Time scale(s) used	ICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unit	Period
Stratigraphic unit	System
Time span formality	Formal
Lower boundary definition	Defined chronometrically
Lower GSSA ratified	1991[1]
Upper boundary definition	Defined chronometrically
Upper GSSA ratified	1991[1]

The Statherian Period ( /stəˈθɪəriən/; Ancient Greek: σταθερός, romanized: statherós, meaning "stable, firm") is the final geologic period in the Paleoproterozoic Era and lasted from 1800 Mya to 1600 Mya (million years ago). Instead of being based on stratigraphy, these dates are defined chronometrically.^[2][3]

The period was characterized on most continents by either new platforms or final cratonization of fold belts. Oxygen levels were 10% to 20% of current values.^[4]

Rafatazmia, controversially^[5] claimed to be present in Statherian beds in India, may be the oldest known confirmably eukaryotic fossil organism.^[6]

By the beginning of the Statherian, the supercontinent Columbia had assembled.^[7]

Approximately 1.7 billion years ago, natural nuclear fission reactors were generating power in what is now Oklo, Gabon.^[8]

See also

• Boring Billion – Earth history, 1.8 to 0.8 billion years ago

References

1. Plumb, K. A. (June 1, 1991). "New Precambrian time scale". Episodes. 14 (2): 139–140. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/1991/v14i2/005.
2. "Statherian Period". GeoWhen Database. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006. Retrieved January 5, 2006.
3. James G. Ogg (2004). "Status on Divisions of the International Geologic Time Scale". Lethaia. 37 (2): 183–199. doi:10.1080/00241160410006492.
4. Holland, Heinrich D. (2006). "The oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans" (PDF). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences. 361 (1470): 903–915. doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.1838. PMC 1578726. PMID 16754606.
5. Kumar, S. (2009). "Controversy concerning 'Cambrian' fossils from the Vindhyan sediments: a re-assessment" (PDF). Journal of the Palaeontological Society of India. 54 (1): 115–117.
6. Bengtson, Stefan; Sallstedt, Therese; Belivanova, Veneta; Whitehouse, Martin (2017). "Three-dimensional preservation of cellular and subcellular structures suggests 1.6 billion-year-old crown-group red algae". PLOS Biology. 15 (3): e2000735. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2000735. PMC 5349422. PMID 28291791.
7. Zhao, Guochun; Cawood, Peter A; Wilde, Simon A; Sun, Min (November 2002). "Review of global 2.1–1.8 Ga orogens: implications for a pre-Rodinia supercontinent". Earth-Science Reviews. 59 (1–4): 125–162. Bibcode:2002ESRv...59..125Z. doi:10.1016/S0012-8252(02)00073-9.
8. Davis, E. D.; Gould, C. R.; Sharapov, E. I. (1 April 2014). "Oklo reactors and implications for nuclear science". International Journal of Modern Physics E. 23 (4): 1430007–1430236. arXiv:1404.4948. Bibcode:2014IJMPE..2330007D. doi:10.1142/S0218301314300070. S2CID 118394767.