Earth’s crust may have gone on the move roughly 3.8 billion years ago. “Earth is actually quite distinct to other planets, in that it has plate tectonics,” says study coauthor Nadja Drabon, a ...

The Hadean protocrust is the name for the earth’s crust — its outermost layer — when it first formed. The ‘Hadean’ prefix refers to the planet’s first geologic aeon. At this time, within 200 million ...

Researchers have made a new discovery that changes our understanding of Earth's early geological history, challenging beliefs about how our continents formed and when plate tectonics began. A study ...

Plate tectonics may be unique to Earth and may be an essential characteristic of habitable planets. Estimates for its onset range from over 4 billion years ago to just 800 million years ago. A new ...

Earth’s earliest crust may have looked a lot more like the continents we know today than scientists once believed. A recent study shakes up old ideas about how Earth's surface evolved, showing that ...

According to SpaceRef, "Earth's outer shell consists of about 15 shifting blocks of crust," that have been moving over millions of years to form the continents and unique landforms that currently ...

Modern continental rocks carry chemical signatures from the very start of our planet's history, challenging current theories about plate tectonics. Researchers have made a new discovery that changes ...