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Spreading continents kick-started plate tectonics.

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Early continents may have initiated subduction and plate tectonics through gravitational spreading. This process, driven by thick, buoyant oceanic crust, explains Archaean geological records until Earth cooled and plate tectonics became self-sustaining.

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Area of Science:

  • Earth Science
  • Geodynamics
  • Plate Tectonics

Background:

  • Subduction initiation and plate tectonics are critical to Earth's geodynamics.
  • Archaean Earth's hotter interior may have resulted in thicker, more buoyant oceanic crust, making early subduction ambiguous.
  • The geological and geodynamic records of Archaean plate tectonics remain debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of early continents in initiating subduction and plate tectonics.
  • To explain the multimodal volcanism and tectonic record of Archaean cratons.
  • To reconcile geodynamic models with Archaean geological evidence.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a geodynamic model incorporating thick, buoyant oceanic crust and early continental structures.
  • Simulated intra-lithospheric gravitational stresses and their effects on continental spreading and subduction initiation.
  • Compared model predictions with geological, xenolith, and seismic data from Archaean cratons.

Main Results:

  • Early continents generated sufficient intra-lithospheric stresses for gravitational spreading, initiating margin subduction.
  • The model explains the co-occurrence of deep and shallow mafic volcanics and arc magmatism within continents.
  • Predicted petrological stratification and tectonic structure of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle, consistent with seismic and xenolith studies.

Conclusions:

  • The gravitational collapse of early continents likely initiated transient episodes of plate tectonics.
  • This mechanism provides a self-consistent framework for understanding Archaean geodynamics and geological features.
  • As Earth cooled, oceanic lithosphere became denser, leading to the establishment of self-sustaining plate tectonics.