The S2 Impact and Its Aftermath
Approximately 3.26 billion years ago, the S2 , significantly larger than the one that caused the dinosaur extinction, struck , triggering a massive tsunami and atmospheric changes.
The impact caused the ocean's top layer to boil and darkened the skies, yet it also mixed deep ocean nutrients into shallow waters, creating conditions favorable for early life.
Life's Resilience and Nutrient Boom
Following the impact, bacteria and archaea, integral to early Earth's biosphere, rapidly thrived on the influx of iron and phosphorus, turning the disaster into a nutrient boon.
This event challenges the notion of meteorite impacts as solely destructive, highlighting their potential role in fostering life's resilience and evolution on early Earth.