A Change in the Geodynamics of Continental Growth 3 Billion Years Ago
Continental Growth Spurts
The appearance and persistence of continents through geologic time has influenced most processes on Earth, from the evolution of new species to the climate. The relative proportion of newly formed crust compared to reworked, or destroyed, older crust reveals which processes controlled continental growth. Based on the combined analyses of Hf-Pb and O isotopes in zircon minerals, Dhuime et al. (p. 1334) measured continuous but variable rates of new crustal production throughout Earth's history. Increased rates of crustal destruction starting around 3 billion years ago coincide with the onset of subduction-drive plate tectonics, slowing down the overall rate of crustal growth.
Abstract
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 oxygen isotopic composition of zircons, for which uranium-lead and hafnium isotopic data provide age constraints, is a key archive of crustal reworking. We identified systematic variations in hafnium and oxygen isotopes in zircons of different ages that reveal the relative proportions of reworked crust and of new crust through time. Growth of continental crust appears to have been a continuous process, albeit at variable rates. A marked decrease in the rate of crustal growth at ~3 billion years ago may be linked to the onset of subduction-driven plate tectonics.
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Science
Volume 335 | Issue 6074
16 March 2012
16 March 2012
Copyright
Copyright © 2012, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Submission history
Received: 1 November 2011
Accepted: 9 February 2012
Published in print: 16 March 2012
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC, NE/E005225/1) and the University of St. Andrews. The data reported in this paper are archived in the supporting online material. We are grateful to staff members of Edinburgh Ion Microprobe Facility (EIMF) for technical assistance with oxygen isotope analysis. The comments of the anonymous referees and the discussions with T. Kemp and T. Elliott during the revision of this article have been greatly appreciated.
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