According to current science, why didn't oxygen begin to accumulate in the atmosphere for more than a billion years after life appeared on Earth?
A. Oxygen released by life was removed from the atmosphere by chemical reactions with surface rocks until the surface rock could absorb no more.
B. Early forms of animal life consumed the oxygen released by plants during the first billion years of life on Earth.
C. Early life did not release oxygen, and oxygen releasing organisms didn't evolve for a billion years after the earliest life.
D. Oxygen released by life was removed from the atmosphere by dissolving in the ocean until the oceans could dissolve no more.
Answer:A
According to current science, why didn't oxygen begin to accumulate in the atmosphere for more than a billion years after life appeared on Earth?
A. Oxygen released by life was removed from the atmosphere by chemical reactions with surface rocks until the surface rock could absorb no more. B. Early forms of animal life consumed the oxygen released by plants during the first billion years of life on Earth. C. Early life did not release oxygen, and oxygen releasing organisms didn't evolve for a billion years after the earliest life. D. Oxygen released by life was removed from the atmosphere by dissolving in the ocean until the oceans could dissolve no more.