The Mesoarchean (/ˌmiːzoʊ.ɑːrˈkiːən, ˌmɛzoʊ-/ MEE-zoh-ar-KEE-ən, MEZ-oh-, also spelled Mesoarchaean) is a geologic era in the Archean Eon, spanning 3,200 to 2,800 million years ago, which contains the first evidence of modern-style plate subduction and expansion of microbial life. The era is defined chronometrically and is not referenced to a specific level in a rock section on Earth.

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Mesoarchean
3200 – 2800 Ma Pha. Proterozoic Archean Had.
A reconstruction of the Earth's continents during the middle Mesoarchean, c. 3 Ga.
Artist impression of the Archean eon
Banded iron formation created during the Mesoarchean era
Chronology
−3200 — – −3150 — – −3100 — – −3050 — – −3000 — – −2950 — – −2900 — – −2850 — – −2800 — – A r c h e a n Paleoarchean Mesoarchean Neoarchean   ← Pongola glaciation[1][2]   Major Glacial period Events of the Mesoarchean. Axis scale: millions of years ago.
Proposed redefinition(s)	3490–2780 Ma Gradstein et al., 2012
Proposed subdivisions	Vaalbaran Period, 3490–3020 Ma Gradstein et al., 2012 Pongolan Period, 3020–2780 Ma Gradstein et al., 2012
Etymology
Name formality	Formal
Alternate spelling(s)	Mesoarchaean
Usage information
Celestial body	Earth
Regional usage	Global (ICS)
Time scale(s) used	ICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unit	Era
Stratigraphic unit	Erathem
Time span formality	Formal
Lower boundary definition	Defined Chronometrically
Lower GSSA ratified	1991[citation needed]
Upper boundary definition	Defined Chronometrically
Upper GSSA ratified	1991[citation needed]

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The Mesoarchean era is thought to be the birthplace of modern-style plate subduction, based on geologic evidence from the Pilbara Craton in western Australia.^[3][4] A convergent margin with a modern-style oceanic arc existed at the boundary between West and East Pilbara approximately 3.12 Ga. By 2.97 Ga, the West Pilbara Terrane converged with and accreted onto the East Pilbara Terrane.^[4] A supercontinent, Vaalbara, may have existed in the Mesoarchean.^[5]

Analysis of oxygen isotopes in Mesoarchean cherts has been helpful in reconstructing Mesoarchean surface temperatures.^[6] These cherts led researchers to draw an estimate of an oceanic temperature around 55-85°C^[7] while other studies of weathering rates postulate average temperatures below 50°C.

The Mesoarchean atmosphere contained high levels of atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide, which could be an explanation for the high temperatures during this era.^[6] Atmospheric dinitrogen content in the Mesoarchean is thought to have been similar to today, suggesting that nitrogen did not play an integral role in the thermal budget of ancient Earth.^[8]

The Pongola glaciation occurred around 2.9 Ga, from which there is evidence of ice extending to a palaeolatitude (latitude based on the magnetic field recorded in the rock) of 48 degrees. This glaciation was likely not triggered by the evolution of photosynthetic cyanobacteria, which likely occurred in the interval between the Huronian glaciations and the Makganyene glaciation.^[9]

Microbial life with diverse metabolisms expanded during the Mesoarchean era and produced gases that influenced early Earth's atmospheric composition. Cyanobacteria produced oxygen gas, but oxygen did not begin to accumulate in the atmosphere until later in the Archean.^[10] Small oases of relatively oxygenated water did exist in some nearshore shallow marine environments by this era, however.^[11]

• Geologic time scale – System that relates geologic strata to time
• Glacial period – Interval of time within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances
• Ice age – Period of long-term reduction in temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere
• Last glacial period – Period of major glaciations of the Northern Hemisphere (115,000–12,000 years ago)Pages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets