From the scant Hadean records of the Jack Hills to Cenozoic supervolcanoes, the
continental crust provides a synoptic view deep into Earth history. However, the information …

Subduction is a component of plate tectonics, which is widely accepted as having operated
in a manner similar to the present-day back through the Phanerozoic Eon. However …

The~ 180-km-diameter Chicxulub peak-ring crater and~ 240-km multiring basin, produced
by the impact that terminated the Cretaceous, is the largest remaining intact impact basin on …

Geologists have speculated when plate tectonics began since the dawn of that revolution,
with recent estimates ranging from the last 20% of Earth history to within the first 5%. All such …

The composition and origin of Earth's earliest continental crust remains enigmatic due to the
absence of Hadean (> 4 Ga) age rocks. Here we address this question by using machine …

Cold deep subduction–a hallmark of modern-style plate tectonics–is the dominant
mechanism for recycling crustal materials into Earth's deep mantle, potentially changing its …

The detrital zircon oxygen isotope record has been used to describe 4.4 billion years of
crustal evolution and maturation. Implicit in the application and use of large databases of …

Abstract The Proterozoic‐Phanerozoic evolution of the Tarim and North China cratons is
integral to the construction of the Eurasian continent. Throughout the Paleozoic, these …

The composition and origin of the earliest continental crust is intensely debated. The
understanding of its composition relies heavily on the oldest vestiges of continental crust …

Zircon structurally accommodates a range of trace impurities into its lattice, a feature which is
used extensively to investigate the evolution of silicate magmas. One key compositional …