What is Mesoproterozoic?
The '''Mesoproterozoic''' is a [[geology|geologic]] [[era]] which lasted from 1,600 million years ago (mya) to 1,000 mya. The major events of this era are: *the breakup of the [[Columbia (supercontinent)|Columbia supercontinent]] ~1,500 mya; *the assembly of the [[Rodinia]] [[supercontinent]] ~1,100 mya; *the [[evolution]] of [[sexual reproduction]]. Evidence of a [[Eukaryote|eukaryotic]] [[red alga]]e, ''Bangiomorpha pubescens'', has been identified from ~1200 mya old rocks in the Hunting Formation ([[Nunavut|Somerset Island]], [[Canada]]). This is the oldest known [[sex]]ually reproducing [[organism]] and therefore the earliest known complex [[multicellular organism]].<ref>Butterfield N.J. 2000. ''Bangiomorpha pubescens'' n. gen., n. sp.: implications for the evolution of sex, multicellularity, and the Mesoproterozoic/Neoproterozoic radiation of eukaryotes. ''Paleobiology'' '''26''', 386–404. [http://paleobiol.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/3/386]</ref> == References == {{Reflist}} {{Geologic History}} {{science-stub}} [[Category:Mesoproterozoic| ]]