boring billion

[bawr-ing bil-yuhn]

noun

1. a period in the earth's development occurring between 1,800 and 800 million years ago that is characterized by relative geological and climatic stability, slow evolutionary development, and low levels of atmospheric oxygen.

Word History and Origins

Origin of boring billion¹

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

Published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, the study overturns the traditional view of the "Boring Billion," a supposedly uneventful period of Earth's history marked by little biological or geological activity.

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Together, these results offer a comprehensive framework connecting the motion of Earth's plates to the conditions that made the planet habitable -- revealing that even in its so-called "boring" billion years, Earth was quietly preparing for life's greatest transformation.

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Both Mills and Purdue University astrobiologist Stephanie Olson, who was also not involved in the study, were impressed by how well the new results match the history of atmospheric oxygenation, including the famous two-step rise and the intervening “boring billion” years—when oxygen levels flat-lined, and day length also stalled at 21 hours.

Read more on Scientific American

The evolutionary step from a single-celled eukaryote to the emergence of multicellular life took a long, long time—about a billion or so years, during which so little changed on Earth that it's been called the "boring billion."

Read more on Salon

A striking pattern emerged: a steady thinning of the crust throughout the so-called boring billion.

Read more on National Geographic