Land ahoy: study shows the first continents bobbed to the surface more than 3 billion years ago

9 Nov 2021
Land
Left: sandstone formations (with ruler for scale); right: microscopic images of zircon grains.

Most people know that the land masses on which we all live represent just 30% of Earth’s surface, and the rest is covered by oceans.

The emergence of the continents was a pivotal moment in the history of life on Earth, not least because they are the humble abode of most humans. But it’s still not clear exactly when these continental landmasses first appeared on Earth, and what tectonic processes built them.

Read the full story via The Conversation

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