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The Earth's early atmosphere was different from that of the Earth's atmosphere today - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry Combined Science - Question 1 - 2016 - Paper 1
Question 1
The Earth's early atmosphere was different from that of the Earth's atmosphere today. (a) The Earth's early atmosphere was formed by ☐ A animals breathing. ☐ B g... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The Earth's early atmosphere was different from that of the Earth's atmosphere today - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry Combined Science - Question 1 - 2016 - Paper 1
Step 1
Step 2
Explain, using the data, the identity of gas X.
Answer
Gas X, which makes up 95% of the Earth's early atmosphere, shows a substantial decrease to only 0.04% in today's atmosphere. This significant change suggests that gas X is likely to be carbon dioxide (CO₂). During early Earth, high levels of CO₂ were present primarily due to volcanic activity. Over time, processes such as photosynthesis from developing plant life and the formation of carbonate rocks reduced its concentration in the atmosphere.