New research deepens the understanding of Earth's crust by testing and ultimately eliminating one popular hypothesis about why continental crust is lower in iron and more oxidized compared to oceanic ...

Models of North China Craton deformation since the middle Jurassic, showing phases of flat slab subduction (a, b) and rollback (c, d). Key: overriding plate (O), downgoing plate (D), trench (T), ...

Continental clues: Modern continental rocks carry chemical signatures from the very start of our planet’s history, challenging current theories about plate tectonics. Researchers have made a new ...

Earth’s continental crust may have begun forming hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought, Yale scientists say — and the reason will be obvious to anyone who has ever baked a cake ...

Deep beneath Africa, a massive flow of hot mantle rock appears to be quietly reshaping the continent in ways scientists did not fully expect.

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A study published in Nature on April 2 upended conventional views about Earth’s earliest geological evolution. The research revealed that Earth’s first crust, formed about 4.5 billion years ago, ...

Tectonic map of the Earth. The first continental crust on Earth formed more than 3 billion years ago. Likely the first fragments formed by partial melting and re-crystallization of the primordial ...

For billions of years, Earth's continents have remained remarkably stable, forming the foundation for mountains, ecosystems and civilizations. But the secret to their stability has mystified ...

An artistic reconstruction of Earth during the Hadean eon (~4.5 billion years ago). Intense volcanic activity, heat from accretion, and frequent impacts kept the young Earth in a molten state. This ...