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The evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis is a pivotal event in Earth’s history because the O 2  released fundamentally changed the planet’s redox state and facilitated the emergence of multicellular life. An intriguing hypothesis proposes that hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) once acted as the electron donor prior to the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis, but its abundance during the Archean would have been limited. Here, we report a previously unrecognized abiotic pathway for Archean H 2 O 2  production that involves the abrasion of quartz surfaces and the subsequent generation of surface-bound radicals that can efficiently oxidize H 2 O to H 2 O 2  and O 2 . We propose that in turbulent subaqueous environments, such as rivers, estuaries and deltas, this process could have provided a sufficient H 2 O 2  source that led to the generation of biogenic O 2 , creating an evolutionary impetus for the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis.

An abiotic source of Archean hydrogen peroxide and oxygen that pre-dates oxygenic photosynthesis