Understanding of secular evolution of the Earth system is based largely on the rock and
mineral archive preserved in the continental lithosphere. Based on the frequency and range …

Carbonatites are igneous rocks formed in the crust by fractional crystallization of carbonate-
rich parental melts that are mostly mantle derived. They dominantly consist of carbonate …

The formation and preservation of cratons—the oldest parts of the continents, comprising
over 60 per cent of the continental landmass—remains an enduring problem. Key to craton …

The North China Craton (NCC) was originally formed by the amalgamation of the eastern
and western blocks along an orogenic belt at∼ 1.9 Ga. After cratonization, the NCC was …

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 …

If we accept that a critical condition for plate tectonics is the creation and maintenance of a
global network of narrow boundaries separating multiple plates, then to argue for plate …

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 …

Kimberlite magmatism has occurred in cratonic regions on every continent. The global age
distribution suggests that this form of mantle melting has been more prominent after 1.2 Ga …

The secular trend of seawater strontium isotope ratio (87 Sr/86 Sr) reflects changes in the
relative contributions of continental versus mantle reservoirs to ocean composition, and …

Reconstructing Earth history during the Hadean defies the traditional rock-based approach
in geology. Given the extremely limited locality of Hadean zircons, some indirect approach …