Surface Processes on Early Earth 3.5 to 3.0 Billion Years Ago

Watch a seminar lecture exploring Earth's surface processes during the Archean period (3.5-3.0 billion years ago), presented by Dr. Axel Hofmann from the Department of Geology at the University of Johannesburg. Discover how Earth's early environment differed dramatically from today, with its hotter interior, widespread volcanic activity, emerging continents, and anoxic oceans and atmosphere. Learn about the conditions under which life emerged and evolved, examining evidence from South Africa's oldest volcanic and sedimentary records. Understand how the evolution of early life influenced atmospheric and oceanic chemistry, and how surface processes were transformed through biological activity during this crucial period of Earth's history.