Ancient Earth's Atmosphere May Have Been Over 70 Percent Carbon Dioxide

Micrometeorites billions of years old provide a unique glimpse at our planet's atmospheric past.

By Erika K. Carlson
Jan 22, 2020 7:00 PMJan 22, 2020 9:33 PM
deep sea spherules 2
Micrometeorites that fell to Earth could help researchers figure out what the planet's atmosphere was like in the distant past. These shiny micrometeorites are examples of the iron-rich micrometeorites the researchers modeled. (Credit: D. E. Brownlee)

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It’s hard to know what Earth’s atmosphere was like billions of years ago, but scientists are beginning to figure it out. 

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