oxygen catastrophe
Meaning
Noun
- An event during the oxygenation event of Earth's past, where the level of free oxygen in the environment exceeds the toleration levels of most extant anerobic life, becoming toxic to existing life, which prior to the mass production of oxygen, was an anerobic reducing environment. This is sometimes considered a mass extinction event, or the first mass extinction event, but as all life was unicellular, there is no fossil boundary to mark the event for conventional paleontology to recognize it.
- Such an event that theoretically occurs elsewhere, away from Earth.
Related
Similar words
- oxygen crisis
- oxygen holocaust
- oxygenation crisis
- oxygenation holocaust
- oxygenation catastrophe
Narrower meaning words
- Oxygen Catastrophe
- Oxygen Crisis
- Oxygen Holocaust
- Oxygenation Crisis
- Oxygenation Holocaust
- Oxygenation Catastrophe
Broader meaning words
- oxygenation event
Origin
- oxygen + catastrophe. From the buildup of environmental oxygen, a toxic compound to the then existing life, causing a die-off of that anerobic life.
Modern English dictionary
Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.
Word of the Day
Get a curated memorable word every day.
Challenge yourself
Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.
And much more
Try out Vedaist now.