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 …

Archean cratons have map patterns and rock associations that are diagnostic of the Wilson
Cycle. The North China Craton (NCC) consists of several distinctly different tectonic units …

The lower plate is the dominant agent in modern convergent margins characterized by
active subduction, as negatively buoyant oceanic lithosphere sinks into the asthenosphere …

The early Earth's environment is controversial. Climatic estimates range from hot to glacial,
and inferred marine pH spans strongly alkaline to acidic. Better understanding of early …

Earth's mantle has a two-layered structure, with the upper and lower mantle domains
separated by a seismic discontinuity at about 660 km (refs.,). The extent of mass transfer …

Much of the current volume of Earth's continental crust had formed by the end of the
Archaean eon (2.5 billion years ago), through melting of hydrated basaltic rocks at depths of …

The first samples collected by the Mars 2020 mission represent units exposed on the Jezero
Crater floor, from the potentially oldest Séítah formation outcrops to the potentially youngest …

The concentration and distribution of water in the Earth has influenced its evolution
throughout its history. Even at the trace levels contained in the planet's deep interior (mantle …

To aid conceptual targeting, the past two decades have seen the emergence of the mineral
systems concept, whereby ore deposits are viewed as small-scale expressions of a range of …

As a consequence of secular cooling of the Earth, there is generally no modern analog to
assist in understanding the tectonic style that may have operated in the Archean. Higher …