ABSTRACT

The relations between the origin and evolution of plate tectonics and the biosphere on Earth are explored in this chapter. Evidence for the origin of plate tectonics is discussed from the perspective of the geologic record and geochemical and isotopic data for the Archean and Paleoproterozoic. The evolution of oxygen in the shallow oceans and atmosphere is also discussed using various proxy records. This discussion is tied to changes in nutrient availability as a function of continental evolution. The relative timing of anoxygenic photosynthesis, oxygenic photosynthesis, methanogenesis/methanotrophy, and iron reduction is cast in terms of plate tectonic and continental evolution.