Initiation and Evolution of Plate Tectonics on Earth: Theories and Observations

Korenaga, Jun

doi:10.1146/annurev-earth-050212-124208

Cited by 431 publications

(293 citation statements)

References 165 publications

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“…A gradual change from shallow subduction in the Archaean, to steep subduction after 1 Ga, is compatible with the record of metamorphic gradients (Brown 2014;Sizova et al 2014). As discussed by Korenaga (2013), however, the role of water in the mantle is not always accounted for in numerical models, and if dry enough, a hot mantle may also allow for slab subduction.…”

Section: The Onset Of Plate Tectonicssupporting

confidence: 54%

The zircon archive of continent formation through time

Roberts¹,

Spencer²

2014

194

136

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The strong resilience of the mineral zircon and its ability to host a wealth of isotopic information make it the best deep-time archive of Earth's continental crust. Zircon is found in most felsic igneous rocks, can be precisely dated and can fingerprint magmatic sources; thus, it has been widely used to document the formation and evolution of continental crust, from pluton-to global-scale. Here, we present a review of major contributions that zircon studies have made in terms of understanding key questions involving the formation of the continents. These include the conditions of continent formation on early Earth, the onset of plate tectonics and subduction, the rate of crustal growth through time and the governing balance of continental addition v. continental loss, and the role of preservation bias in the zircon record.

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Section: The Onset Of Plate Tectonicssupporting

confidence: 54%

The zircon archive of continent formation through time

Roberts¹,

Spencer²

2014

194

136

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“…Korenaga, 2013, and references therein). Davies (1992;2006) argued that the presence of early depleted mantle would have resulted in oceanic crust thinner than modern oceanic crust (< 3 km on average), and a thinner oceanic crust would increase the viability of subduction.…”

Section: Implications For Crust-mantle Interactions Through Timementioning

confidence: 99%

Continental growth and the crustal record

2013

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The continental crust is the archive of Earth history. The spatial and temporal distribution of the Earth's record of rock units and events is heterogeneous with distinctive peaks and troughs in the distribution of ages of igneous crystallization, metamorphism, continental margins and mineralization. This distribution reflects the different preservation potential of rocks generated in different tectonic settings, rather than fundamental pulses of activity, and the peaks of ages are linked to the timing of supercontinent assembly. In contrast there are other signals, such as the Sr isotope ratios of seawater, mantle temperatures, and redox conditions on the Earth, where the records are regarded as primary because they are not sensitive to the numbers of samples of different ages that have been analysed. New models based on the U-Pb, Hf and O isotope ratios of detrital zircons suggest that at least ~60-70% of the present volume of the continental crust had been generated by 3 Ga. The growth of continental crust was a continuous rather than an episodic process, but there was a marked decrease in the rate of crustal growth at ~3 Ga. This appears to have been linked to significant crustal recycling and the onset plate tectonics. The 60-70% of the present volume of the continental crust estimated to have been present at 3 Ga, contrasts markedly with the <10% of crust of that age apparently still preserved and it requires ongoing destruction (recycling) of early formed crust and subcontinental mantle lithosphere back into the mantle through processes such as subduction and delamination.

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“…Moreover, most of the cratons became stable during Archean (2500-3750 Ma) 53,54 , when mantle heat flux was higher to support more vigorous convection 55 . There could be two end-member solutions to this problem 56 : (a) either cratons could resist deformation, or (b) they were avoided by the deforming agent (like mantle convection).…”

Section: Stability Of Cratonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Deep Earth Dynamics:A Numerical Modelling Approach

Singh¹,

Agrawal²,

Ghosh³

2017

Current Science

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Enhancement in computing power and better data availability have paved the way for deciphering the earth's deeper dynamics and have provided viable explanations for various surface phenomena. Tools such as seismic tomography, numerical modelling and geophysical observations such as stresses, gravity anomalies, heat flow, etc. have helped us in addressing the mechanisms of plate driving forces, anomalous geoid variations, cratonic stability, topographic support, intraplate earthquakes and similar outstanding issues in geodynamics. Due to lack of direct observations from deep earth, numerical modelling has aided considerably in learning about subsurface processes. With better algorithms being developed everyday, it is the right time to tap their potential to push the frontiers of human knowledge.

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Initiation and Evolution of Plate Tectonics on Earth: Theories and Observations

Cited by 431 publications

References 165 publications

The zircon archive of continent formation through time

The zircon archive of continent formation through time

Continental growth and the crustal record

Understanding Deep Earth Dynamics:A Numerical Modelling Approach

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