The Earth's early atmosphere was different from that of the Earth's atmosphere today - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - 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 glo... 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 - Question 1 - 2016 - Paper 1
Step 1
(a) The Earth's early atmosphere was formed by
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Answer
The correct answer is D, volcanic activity. The Earth's early atmosphere was primarily formed from gases released by volcanic eruptions, including carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases.
Step 2
(b) Explain, using the data, the identity of gas X.
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Answer
Gas X constitutes 95% of the Earth's early atmosphere and only 0.04% of today's atmosphere. This significant decrease suggests that gas X was primarily produced during the early Earth period, likely through volcanic activity. Given that the most abundant gas that fits this description is carbon dioxide (CO2), we can conclude that gas X is carbon dioxide.