US EditionEarly Earth's first crust composition discovery rewrites geological timeline
- A new study, published in Nature, reveals Earth's first crust had continent-like chemical features around 4.5 billion years ago.
- Scientists previously believed subduction zones were required to create the chemical fingerprint seen in continents today.
- Researchers simulated early Earth conditions with mathematical models, finding the protocrust had the same chemical makeup.
- Turner states, "This discovery completely changes our understanding of Earth's earliest geological processes," requiring theories to be reconsidered.
- The findings suggest a need to rethink continent formation and plate tectonics, impacting theories about early life origins.
19 Articles
19 Articles
New Study Reveals Chemical Secret Of Earth's 4.5 Years Billion Crust
Earth is the only known planet which has plate tectonics today. The constant movement of these giant slabs of rock over the planet's magma creates continents - and may have even helped create life. In a newspaper published in Nature today, colleagues and I reveal secrets of Earth's crust 4.5 billion years ago. In the process, we also provide a new way to approach one of the biggest enduring scientific mysteries: when did plate tectonics begin? I…
New discovery about Earth’s first crust changes understanding about how continents formed
A new study suggests that Earth’s first crust formed continents and plate tectonics earlier than previously thought, with potential ramifications for theories about when life on the blue planet first evolved. Modern continental rock. Credit: Morris McLennan, Macquarie University (CC BY-NC-ND) The research is published in Nature. “This discovery has major implications for how we think about Earth’s earliest history,” says study lead Simon Turner,…
Formation and composition of Earth’s Hadean protocrust
Although Earth, together with other terrestrial planets, must have had an early-formed protocrust, the chemical composition of this crust has received little attention. The protocrust was extracted from an extensive magma ocean formed by accretion and melting of asteroidal bodies1. Both experimental and chronological data suggest that the silicate melt ascending from this magma ocean formed in equilibrium with, or after, metal was extracted to f…
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