Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Annihilation of ecosystems by large asteroid impacts on the early Earth

Nature volume 342, pages 139–142 (1989)Cite this article

Abstract

Large asteroid impacts produced globally lethal conditions by evaporating large volumes of ocean water on the early Earth. The Earth may have been continuously habitable by ecosystems that did not depend on photosynthesis as early as 4.44 Gyr BP (before present). Only a brief interval after 3.8 Gyr exists between the time when obligate photosynthetic organisms could continuously evolve and the time when the palaeontological record indicates highly evolved photosynthetic ecosystems.

Access to this article via Institution of Civil Engineers Library is not available.

Change institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access to this article via Institution of Civil Engineers Library is not available.

Change institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cloud, P. Scient. Am. 249 (March), 176–189 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Maher, K. A. & Stevenson, D. J. Nature 331, 612–614 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Newsom, H. E. & Taylor, S. R. Nature 338, 29–34 (1988).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. Baldwin, R. B. in Multi-Ring Basins, Proc. lunar planet. Sci. Conf. 12A, 19–28 (1981).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Baldwin, R. B. Icarus 71, 1–18 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Baldwin, R. B. Icarus 71, 19–29 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hartmann, W. K. in Proc. Conf. lunar Highlands Crust (eds Papike, J. J. & Merrill, R. B.) 155–173 (Pergamon, New York, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Korotev, R. L. J. geophys. Res. 92, E447–E461 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ringwood, A. E. & Seifert, S. in Origin of the Moon (eds Hartman, W. K., Phillips, R. J. & Taylor, G. J.) 331–358 (Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, 1986).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Warren, P. H., Jerde, E. A. & Kallemeyn, G. W. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 91, 245–260 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Lindstrom, M. M. & Lindstrom, D. J. J. geophys. Res. 91, D263–D276 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Spudis, P. D. & Davis, P. A. J. geophys. Res. 91, E84–E90 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Swindle, T. D., Caffee, M. W., Hohenberg, C. M. & Taylor, S. R. in Origin of the Moon (eds Hartman, W. K., Phillips, R. J. & Taylor, G. J.) 331–357 (Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, 1986).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Carlson, R. W. & Lugmair, G. W. Earth planet Sci. Lett. 90, 119–130 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Carlson, R. W. & Lugmair, G. W. Earth planet Sci. Lett. 45, 123–132 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Pieters, C. M. Rev. Geophys. 24, 557–578 (1986).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Davis, P. A. & Spudis, P. J. geophys. Res. 92, E387–E395 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Marvin, U. B., Carey, J. W. & Lindstrom, M. M. Science 243, 925–931 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Bratt, S. R., Solomon, S. C. & Head, J. W. J. geophys. Res. 90, 12,415–12,433 (1985).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Bratt, S. R., Solomon, S. C., Head, J. W. & Thuber, C. H. J. geophys. Res. 90, 3049–13064 (1985).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Spudis, P. D., Hawke, B. R. & Lucey, P. G. Proc. lunar planet. Sci. Conf. 18, 155–168 (1988).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Hughes, D. W. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 199, 1149–1157 (1982).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Donnison, J. R. & Sugden, R. A. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 210, 673–682 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Melosh, H. J. Impact Cratering: A Geological Process (Oxford University Press, New York, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Basaltic Volcanism Project Basaltic Volcanism on the Terrestrial Planets (Pergamon, New York, 1981).

  26. Hartmann, W. K., Tholen, D. J. & Cruikshank, D. P. Icarus 69, 33–50 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Wetherill, G. W. Icarus 75, 552–565 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Kasting, J. F. Icarus 74, 472–494 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Ingersoll, A. P. J. atmos. Sci. 26, 1191–1198 (1969).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Schopf, J. W. & Walter, M. R. in Earth's Earliest Biosphere (ed. Schopf, J. W.) 214–239 (Princeton University Press, 1983).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Schidlowski, M. Nature 333, 313–318 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Jannasch, H. W. in Hydrothermal Processes at Seafloor Spreading Centres (eds Rona, P. A., Bostöm, K., Laubier, L. & Smith, K. L. Jr) 677–709 (Plenum, New York, 1983).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  33. Walker, J. C. G. Nature 329, 710–712 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Braterman, P. S., Cairns-Smith, A. G. & Sloper, R. W. Nature 303, 163–164 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Walker, J. C. G. & Brimblecombe, P. Precambrian Res. 28, 205–22 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Connan, J. Adv. Petrol. Geochem. 1, 299–335 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA

    Norman H. Sleep

  2. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, 94035, USA

    Kevin J. Zahnle

  3. Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, USA

    James F. Kasting

  4. Biology Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030–4444, USA

    Harold J. Morowitz

Authors
  1. Norman H. Sleep
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kevin J. Zahnle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. James F. Kasting
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  4. Harold J. Morowitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sleep, N., Zahnle, K., Kasting, J. et al. Annihilation of ecosystems by large asteroid impacts on the early Earth. Nature 342, 139–142 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/342139a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/342139a0

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing