Open AccessLong-term preservation of Hadean protocrust in Earth’s mantle
Author(s) -
Jonas Tusch,
J. Elis Hoffmann,
Eric Hasenstab,
M. Fischer-Gödde,
Chris S. Marien,
A. H. Wilson,
Carsten Münker
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2120241119
Subject(s) - hadean , archean , geology , geodynamics , mantle (geology) , craton , early earth , crust , geochemistry , plate tectonics , earth science , tectonics , paleontology
Significance Due 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-precision182 W 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 contrasting182 W 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.