Long-term preservation of Hadean protocrust in Earth's mantle
Jonas Tusch1, J Elis Hoffmann2, Eric Hasenstab1
1Institut für Geologie und Mineralogie, Universität zu Köln, 50674 Köln, Germany.
Abstract:
SignificanceDue to active plate tectonics, there are no direct rock archives covering the first ca. 500 million y of Earth's history. Therefore, insights into Hadean geodynamics rely on indirect observations from geochemistry. We present a high-precision 182W dataset for rocks from the Kaapvaal Craton, southern Africa, revealing the presence of Hadean protocrustal remnants in Earth's mantle. This has broad implications for geochemists, geophysicists, and modelers, as it bridges contrasting 182W isotope patterns in Archean and modern mantle-derived rocks. The data reveal the origin of seismically and isotopically anomalous domains in the deep mantle and also provide firm evidence for the operation of silicate differentiation processes during the first 60 million y of Earth's history.
Related Concept Videos
Diversity of Archaea IV
Diversity of Archaea III
Diversity of Protists III
Biosynthesis of Lipids
Isothermal Processes
An ideal gas can also undergo isothermal expansion or compression.
For example, consider 1 mole of an ideal gas inside an isolated cylinder at initial volume V...
Diversity of Archaea II


