New Study on Zircons Finds Plate Tectonics Began 3.6 Billion Years Ago
May 14th, 2021, 11:00AM / BY Abigail Eisenstadt Zircons are the oldest minerals in the world and come in colors like the rich blue above. Researchers have now used these gemstones to identify when modern plate tectonics began. (Ken Larsen) Zircon minerals are the oldest-known Earth material. Some formed even before the planet's crust became the rigid continental plates that move according to modern plate tectonics. New research on ancient zircons suggests that Earth’s modern plate tectonics likely formed around 3.6 billion years ago. The paper, published in the jou...
Source: smithsonianmag.com