💨 THE CARBONIFEROUS OXYGEN SPIKE
PAGE 1 OF 5, AIR YOU COULD BREATHE
SUPERCHARGED AIR
WHEN EARTH'S AIR WAS THICK WITH OXYGEN
Today the air around you is about 21% oxygen. During the Carboniferous period, roughly 300 million years ago, that number may have climbed as high as 30 to 35%. The world felt different. Swampy forests stretched across continents, fires burned hotter, and insects grew to sizes that would look impossible now. This oxygen spike is one of the strangest chapters in plant history.
⚡ DID YOU KNOW?
Meganeura was a Carboniferous dragonfly with a wingspan of about 65 to 70 centimetres. That is wider than many children's arms!
OXYGEN!
THEN VS NOW
💨 Carboniferous air: up to ~35% O₂
🌍 Today's air: about 21% O₂
🌍 Today's air: about 21% O₂
GIANT INSECTS
🦟 Meganeura: huge prehistoric dragonfly
🪲 Other insects also reached record sizes
🪲 Other insects also reached record sizes