Breath of Life

Breath of Life

This work reflects the artist’s background as a geologist. The base is a differentially weathered rock deposited in a marine environment some two billion years ago. The recessed layers consist of carbonate laid down on a sticky mat of cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria are an early form of life whose photosynthetic activity caused enrichment of oxygen in the atmosphere. The resistant layers are made of quartz grains deposited by higher energy currents. Above the base are alternating bands of red iron carbonate and gray slate. The top is a polished cube of iron formation consisting of red jasper and gray hematite. This kind of rock has provided most of the iron for the industrial age. It is found on most continents but only formed roughly between two and three billion years ago when the oxygen in the atmosphere was just right. If oxygen is insufficient the iron stays mobile. If there is too much oxygen, iron stays locked down. When oxygen reached sufficient levels in the atmosphere, anaerobic animals suffered and aerobic animals began to evolve.