Named due to the relative stability in the Earth’s environment, for the next billion years, the Earth would be marked by low oxygen levels and high sulfur in the oceans, called the Canfield ocean.
# Metadata
Title: Beginning of the Boring Billion Movietime: 6:20 Geographical Time: 1800 Ma
Around 1.8 billion years ago, Earth entered what is often referred to as the “Boring Billion” — a remarkably long period of geological and biological stability. While tectonic activity, weathering, and sedimentation continued, few major evolutionary or atmospheric changes are recorded over this stretch of time.
One defining feature of the era was the prevalence of anoxic and sulfidic conditions in the oceans, known as the Canfield Ocean. Oxygen levels in the atmosphere remained relatively low, and this may have restricted the diversification of complex life. The ocean chemistry favored microbes capable of sulfur-based metabolism, and evolution proceeded at a seemingly glacial pace.
Despite its name, the Boring Billion laid much of the groundwork for future biological innovations. It likely contributed to the eventual buildup of oxygen and the emergence of eukaryotes, which would go on to dominate multicellular life in later eras.