The Earth as a planetary system has experienced significant change since its formation c.
4.54 Gyr ago. Some of these changes have been gradual, such as secular cooling of the …

The Earth is the only known planet where plate tectonics is active, and different studies have
concluded that plate tectonics commenced at times from the early Hadean to 700 Ma. Many …

We argue that the production of mantle-derived or juvenile continental crust during the
accretionary history of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) has been grossly …

Using Geochemical Data: Evaluation, Presentation, Interpretation Page 1 Page 2 Using
Geochemical Data: Evaluation, Presentation, Interpretation Page 3 Other titles in the series An …

Models for the growth of continental crust rely on knowing the balance between the
generation of new crust and the reworking of old crust throughout Earth's history. The …

Zircon has played a critically important role in our understanding of the growth and evolution
of the Earth. The U–Pb isotope system as preserved in zircon, more than any other mineral …

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB), also known as the Altaid Tectonic Collage, is
characterised by a vast distribution of Paleozoic and Mesozoic granitic intrusions. The …

Asia is the world's largest composite continent, comprising numerous old cratonic blocks
and young mobile belts. During the Phanerozoic it was enlarged by successive accretion of …

The strong resilience of the mineral zircon and its ability to host a wealth of isotopic
information make it the best deep-time archive of Earth's continental crust. Zircon is found in …

This substantially revised edition includes recently published information relating to plate
tectonics and continental origin. A large number of new figures have been added, and new …