This study examines whether early Earth had a significant crust by analyzing hafnium isotopic compositions in ancient crustal rocks. The findings suggest that alterations, possibly from metasomatic fluids or melts, affected hafnium records, leading to apparently contradictory interpretations about crust thickness. Through geochemical modeling, the study resolves these discrepancies, supporting the presence of a thick crust during Earth's first billion years.
Funding
2023YFF0803804 National Key Research and Development Program of China
The Paleoarchean East Pilbara Terrane (NW Australia): is it a legacy and natural laboratory of the non-uniformitarian Earth?