What Was The Earth Like 2 Billion Years Ago?

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Researched and Written by Leila Battison
Narrated and Edited by David Kelly
Thumbnail Art and Art by Ettore Mazza
Art by Khail Kupsky
Map by Adriano Bezerra

****REFERENCES IN A PINNED COMMENT****

Thanks to A. El Albani for the use of his videos and images from the article "Organism motility in an oxygenated shallow-marine environment 2.1 billion years ago.": https://www.pnas.org/content/116/9/3431

If you like our videos, check out Leila’s Youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXIk7euOGq6jkptjTzEz5kQ

Music from Epidemic Sound and Artlist, stock footage from Videoblocks.

Image Credits:

Kola Borehole Building By Andre Belozeroff – Страница автора на Panoramio.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6822548
Drill Bit By Urfin7 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74986137
Drill bits By Geolina163 – Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25732598
MOHO map By AllenMcC. – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25709592
2 billion year old rock By Anders Damberg, Geological Survey of Sweden SGU from Sweden – Värmland, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17420427francevillian biota microbial community By Benoit Potin – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45300482
Pierrlate nuclear By Marianne Casamance – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50711193
Urananite By Geomartin – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6612845
Shield Volcano Ethopia By Hervé Sthioul – Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1637081
Colombia supercontinent By Celiayangyy – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63938078
Banded Iron Formations By James St. John – Jaspilite banded iron formation (Soudan Iron-Formation, Neoarchean, ~2.69 Ga; Stuntz Bay Road outcrop, Soudan Underground State Park, Soudan, Minnesota, USA) 53, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41251871
Banded Iron Formation Fortescue Falls By Graeme Churchard from Bristol, UK – Dales Gorge Uploaded by PDTillman, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30889569
Stanley Tyler Photo: Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Fair use)
Elsa Barghorn image (fair use)
Tree Fossil from Carboniferous By Michael C. Rygel – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11232561
Stromatolites By James St. John (jsj1771) https://www.flickr.com/people/jsjgeology/ – https://www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/8363773070/sizes/o/in/set-72157632477572336/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27162039
Stromatolite CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27162039
Gunflint range Stromatolite By James St. John (jsj1771) https://www.flickr.com/people/jsjgeology/ – https://www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/8363773070/sizes/o/in/set-72157632477572336/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27162039
Modern stromatolite By Paul Harrison – Photograph taken by Paul Harrison (Reading, UK) using a Sony CyberShot DSC-H1 digital camera., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=714512
Franceville Biota By Ventus55 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33158470
Anthracite Coal By Amcyrus2012 – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37728088Anthracite Coal By Amcyrus2012 – Own work, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37728099
Gunflint Microfossils Alleon, J. et al. Molecular preservation of 1.88 Ga Gunflint organic microfossils as a function of temperature and mineralogy. Nat. Commun. 7:11977 doi: 10.1038/ncomms11977 (2016).Cyanobacteria By CSIRO, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35480947
Franceville Biota Microfossils El Albani A, Bengtson S, Canfield DE, Riboulleau A, Rollion Bard C, et al., CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kola borehole sealed shut By Rakot13 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=210297482012
Kola borehole By Bigest – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20538061
Subduction Image By KDS4444 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49035989