Statherian

The Statherian Period ( /stəˈθɪəriən/; Greek: σταθερός (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.[1][2]

Statherian Period 1800–1600 million years ago PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N

Paleoglobe of the Earth during the Statherian

Events of the Statherian -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 P Z Orosirian Statherian Calymmian       ← Beginning of the Boring Billion Events of the Statherian Period. Axis scale: millions of years ago.

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.[3]

Rafatazmia, controversially[4] claimed to be present in Statherian beds in India, may be the oldest known confirmably eukaryotic fossil organism.[5]

By the beginning of the Statherian, the supercontinent Columbia had assembled.

See also

• Boring Billion – Between 1.8 and 0.8 billion years ago

References

1. "Statherian Period". GeoWhen Database. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006. Retrieved January 5, 2006.
2. James G. Ogg (2004). "Status on Divisions of the International Geologic Time Scale". Lethaia. 37 (2): 183–199. doi:10.1080/00241160410006492.
3. Holland, Heinrich D. (2006). "The oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans" (PDF). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences. 361: 903–915. doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.1838.
4. Kumar, S. (2009). "Controversy concerning 'Cambrian' fossils from the Vindhyan sediments: a re-assessment" (PDF). Journal of the Palaentological Society of India. 54 (1): 115–117.
5. 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.