Mar 23, 2026 04:50 PM
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120327
INTRO: The history of the Earth is written on the great tablets of tectonic plates. The motions of plates shaped land masses, formed oceans, and created the varied climates and habitats that set the stage for evolution and the diversity of life.
But this grand drama begins with a deep mystery: just when did the continental and oceanic plates begin to drift? Did the lithosphere begin to move soon after the formation of the Earth 4.5 billion years ago or only in the last billion years?
A new study by Harvard geoscientists shows the oldest-yet direct evidence of plate movement by 3.5 billion years ago. In a study published March 19 in Science, the team found that plate movements—though not necessarily the modern type—shaped the early history of our planet.
“There has been a huge range of ages suggested for timing,” said lead author Alec Brenner, PhD ’24, who conducted the research in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) in the Harvard University Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. “With this study, we're able to say three and a half billion years ago, we can see plates moving around on the Earth surface.”
The new revelations came from some of the oldest well-preserved rocks in the world, the Pilbara Craton in western Australia, which contains formations from the Archean Eon when the Earth was hosting early microbial life and under heavy bombardment by astronomical objects. The Pilbara area contains evidence of some of the earliest known life, stromatolites and microbialite rocks deposited by single-celled organisms such as cyanobacteria.
A team led by Roger Fu, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, has been conducting research in East Pilbara since 2017. Fu specializes in paleomagnetism, a branch of geophysics that examines changes in the Earth’s magnetic fields to reconstruct the early history of the planet. Last year, they published a paper about an ancient meteor impact at the same site.
In addition to revealing the properties of the Earth’s magnetic field, paleomagnetism can also be used to track the motions of plates. By analyzing the magnetic signals of ancient mineral grains, the researchers can infer the orientation and latitude of the rocks at the time of formation—thus using the ancient samples like paleo GPS units.
“Almost everything unique about the Earth has something to do with plate tectonics at some level,” said Fu. “At some point, the Earth went from something not that special, just another planet in the solar system with similar materials, to something very special. A very strong suspicion is that plate tectonics started Earth down this divergent track.” (MORE - details, no ads)
INTRO: The history of the Earth is written on the great tablets of tectonic plates. The motions of plates shaped land masses, formed oceans, and created the varied climates and habitats that set the stage for evolution and the diversity of life.
But this grand drama begins with a deep mystery: just when did the continental and oceanic plates begin to drift? Did the lithosphere begin to move soon after the formation of the Earth 4.5 billion years ago or only in the last billion years?
A new study by Harvard geoscientists shows the oldest-yet direct evidence of plate movement by 3.5 billion years ago. In a study published March 19 in Science, the team found that plate movements—though not necessarily the modern type—shaped the early history of our planet.
“There has been a huge range of ages suggested for timing,” said lead author Alec Brenner, PhD ’24, who conducted the research in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS) in the Harvard University Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. “With this study, we're able to say three and a half billion years ago, we can see plates moving around on the Earth surface.”
The new revelations came from some of the oldest well-preserved rocks in the world, the Pilbara Craton in western Australia, which contains formations from the Archean Eon when the Earth was hosting early microbial life and under heavy bombardment by astronomical objects. The Pilbara area contains evidence of some of the earliest known life, stromatolites and microbialite rocks deposited by single-celled organisms such as cyanobacteria.
A team led by Roger Fu, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, has been conducting research in East Pilbara since 2017. Fu specializes in paleomagnetism, a branch of geophysics that examines changes in the Earth’s magnetic fields to reconstruct the early history of the planet. Last year, they published a paper about an ancient meteor impact at the same site.
In addition to revealing the properties of the Earth’s magnetic field, paleomagnetism can also be used to track the motions of plates. By analyzing the magnetic signals of ancient mineral grains, the researchers can infer the orientation and latitude of the rocks at the time of formation—thus using the ancient samples like paleo GPS units.
“Almost everything unique about the Earth has something to do with plate tectonics at some level,” said Fu. “At some point, the Earth went from something not that special, just another planet in the solar system with similar materials, to something very special. A very strong suspicion is that plate tectonics started Earth down this divergent track.” (MORE - details, no ads)