LU researcher part of team receiving $2.7M to study history of Earth's oxygen

A Lakehead University professor is part of a research team that's received more than $2.7 million to study the origins of oxygen in Earth's environment, and the answer to that question may also lie here in northwestern Ontario.

According to a written release issued by the university Thursday morning, Philip Fralick, a professor with the school's department of geology and Stefan Lalonde of the European Institute for Marine Studies in France, will be studying rocks near Red Lake, Ont., including limestone believed to be well over two billion years old.

"This funding will allow us to explore when photosynthesis started on our planet, paving the way for the development of multicellular life," Fralick was quoted as saying in Thursday's announcement.

"It also validates the level of research that is being conducted by Dr. Lalonde's group [in France] and here at Lakehead."

Study to closely examine fossils

The limestone that's slated to be studied originally formed in ancient oceans, the university's release said.

According to school officials, fossil structures in rocks near Red Lake hint at the presence of photosynthesizing organisms — said to be responsible for adding oxygen to the planet's atmosphere — but it's uncertain when that happened.

The planned study will take a closer look, the university said.

Knowing when oxygen was first added to the atmosphere is an important detail, as the element's presence created a huge change to surface conditions on the planet, according to researchers.

The funding was announced by the European Research Council.