The Great Oxygenation Event (GOE), also known as the Oxygen Catastrophe, refers to the period in Earth's history, around 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria began producing large quantities of oxygen through photosynthesis. This event led to a significant increase in the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere, which dramatically changed the planet's environment and had profound effects on the evolution of life. It is not the case that oceans and land mass oxygen reservoirs became full, nor that fish and amphibians began to breathe oxygen 85 million years ago, or that the percentage of oxygen rose to 35% 300 million years ago. The GOE marked the transition from an anoxic (low-oxygen) atmosphere to one that contained significant levels of free oxygen.
What was the Great Oxygenation Event?
when oceans and land mass oxygen reservoirs became full and free oxygen began to build up in the atmosphere
when cyanobacteria began producing large quantities of oxygen through the process photosynthesis
when fish and amphibians began to breath oxygen 85 million years ago
when the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere rose to 35% 300 million years ago
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