Banded Iron Formations Case Study - Evidence of Coevolution of Earth's Systems

Banded iron formations are iron-oxide deposits that occur in Earth's strata during periods of increasing levels of atmospheric oxygen. Using dating techniques, scientists can use this as evidence for when the first photosynthetic organisms emerged and how they impacted the atmosphere. This follows with standard HS-ESS2-7 which highlights evidence of the coevolution of Earth's systems. Changes in the biosphere have thus led to a change in atmospheric composition and the lithosphere.

Students will practice scientific literary through the reading of an article and then use data to graph and compare trends. The activity ends through the completion of a CER analyzing the relationship between BIFs and oxygen levels.