During the early stages of its history, Earth was physically and chemically very different from today. The planetary interior was hotter and volcanic processes were widespread. Continents were still in the making, and small volcanic landmasses were free of vegetation and subject to intense chemical weathering. The oceans and atmosphere were largely anoxic. Large impacts occurred frequently. It was under such conditions that life emerged and evolved. The evolution of life led to changes in atmospheric/oceanic redox state and the advent of biologically-mediated surface processes. The aim of this talk is to explore the processes that operated on the Earth’s surface from its oldest volcanic and sedimentary record preserved in South Africa.