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 ...

The Nature Index 2025 Research Leaders — previously known as Annual Tables — reveal the leading institutions and countries/territories in the natural and health sciences, according to their output in ...

A handful of ancient zircon crystals found in South Africa hold the oldest evidence of subduction, a key element of plate tectonics, according to a new study published today in AGU Advances. These ...

Continental clues: 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...