Day 2 as Described in Genesis

And God said, “Let the vapors separate to form the sky above and the oceans below.” So God made the sky, dividing the vapor above from the water below. This all happened on the second day.

(Genesis 1:6-8 TLB)

This chronicles the creation of the earth’s atmosphere, the sky, between the thick opaque water vapors above the sky and the seas beneath the sky.

Probable Time Frame ~3000 mya to 2400 mya

Image by Jack Jackie Pomi - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

  • Cyanobacteria/Green-blue algae (Aerobic) (~ -2700 to -2400)
  • Small plants appear
  • Oxygenation begins from photosynthesis actions of algae and plants, as evidenced by banded iron formation
  • Carbon also dissolves in oceans
  • Algae later become sediments at ocean floor

Note that the videos below are not too clear about the formation of the atmosphere from oxygenation. However, the New Scientist article shows how modeling based on ocean sediment samples strongly suggests that the haze of hydrocarbon fog was cleared from the early atmosphere and replaced with oxygen from photosynthesis during this time period.

Videos Covering This Timeframe

YouTube Title Description
Formation of the atmosphere Evolution of the chemical components of the earth's atmosphere.
Earth and The Early Atmosphere Big History presentation of Earth's atmosphere. Creation of an endless cycle of warming, cooling, and recovery.
Early Earth Atmosphere First earth atmosphere. Collision, moon, Hadean. Cynobacteria. Banded iron formations.
How Bad Was the Great Oxidation Event? Description of the beginning of life in the seas, photosynthesis, and then the great oxidation event.
What Was The Earth Like 3 Billion Years Ago? Overview of what the earth may have been like from about 4.1 bya to 2.5 bya.