http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987112001272

Our blue planet Earth has long been regarded to carry full of nutrients for hosting life since the birth of the planet.Here we speculate the processes that led to the birth of early life on Earth and its aftermath, finally leading to the evolution of metazoans.We evaluate:（1） the source of nutrients,（2） the chemistry of primordial ocean,（3） the initial mass of ocean,and（4） the size of planet.Among the life-building nutrients,phosphorus and potassium play a key role.Only three types of rocks can serve as an adequate source of nutrients:（a） continent-forming TTG（granite）,enabling the evolution of primitive life to metazoans;（b） primordial continents carrying anorthosite with KREEP（Potassium,Rare Earth Elements, and Phosphorus） basalts,which is a key to bear life;（c） carbonatite magma,enriched in radiogenic elements such as U and Th,which can cause mutation to speed up evolution and promote the birth of new species in continental rift settings.The second important factor is ocean chemistry.The primordial ocean was extremely acidic（pH = 1-2） and enriched in halogens（CI,F and others）,S,N and metallic elements（Cd,Cu,Zn,and others）,inhibiting the birth of life.Plate tectonics cleaned up these elements which interfered with RNA.Blue ocean finally appeared in the Phanerozoic with pH = 7 through extensive interaction with surface continental crust by weathering,erosion and transportation into ocean.The initial ocean mass was also important.The birth of life and aftermath of evolution was possible in the habitable zone with 3-5 km deep ocean which was able to supply sufficient nutrients. Without a huge landmass,nutrients cannot be supplied into the ocean only by ridge-hydrothermal circulation in the Hadean.Finally,the size of the planet plays a crucial role.Cooling of massive planets is less efficient than smaller ones,so that return-flow of seawater into mantle does not occur until central stars finish their main sequence.Due to the suitable size of Earth,the dawn of Phanerozoic witnessed the initiation of return-flow of seawater into the mantle,leading to the emergence of huge landmass above sea-level,and the distribution of nutrients on a global scale.Oxygen pump also played a critical role to keep high-PO₂ in atmosphere since then,leading to the emergence of ozone layer and enabling animals and plants to invade the land. To satisfy the tight conditions to make the Earth habitable,the formation mechanism of primordial Earth is an important factor.At first,a ’dry Earth’ must be made through giant impact,followed by magma ocean to float nutrient-enriched primordial continents（anorthosite + KREEP）.Late bombardment from asteroid belt supplied water to make 3-5 km thick ocean,and not from icy meteorites from Kuiper belt beyond cool Jupiter.It was essential to meet the above conditions that enabled the Earth as a habitable planet with evolved life forms.The tight constraints that we evaluate for birth and evolution of life on Earth would provide important guidelines for planetary scientists hunting for life in the exosolar planets.     

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2016.08.003

The primordial crust on the Earth formed from the crystallization of the surface magma ocean during the Hadean. However, geological surveys have found no evidence of rocks dating back to more than 4 Ga on the Earth's surface, suggesting the Hadean crust was lost due to some processes. We investigated the subduction of one of the possible candidates for the primordial crust, anorthosite and KREEP crust similar to the Moon, which is also considered to have formed from the crystallization of the magma ocean. Similar to the present Earth, the subduction of primordial crust by subduction erosion is expected to be an effective way of eliminating primordial crust from the surface. In this study, the subduction rate of the primordial crust via subduction channels is evaluated by numerical simulations. The subduction channels are located between the subducting slab and the mantle wedge and are comprised of primordial crust materials supplied mainly by subduction erosion. We have found that primordial anorthosite and KREEP crust of up to ～50 km thick at the Earth's surface was able to be conveyed to the deep mantle within 0.1-2 Gy by that mechanism.     

The split fate of the early Earth,Mars, Venus,and Moon

Plate tectonics shaped the Earth, whereas the Moon is a dry and inactive desert, Mars probably came to rest within the first billion years of its history, and Venus, although internally very active, has a dry inferno for its surface. Here we review the parameters that determined the fates of each of these planets and their geochemical expressions. The strong gravity field of a large planet allows for an enormous amount of gravitational energy to be released, causing the outer part of the planetary body to melt (magma ocean), helps retain water on the planet, and increases the pressure gradient. The weak gravity field and anhydrous conditions prevailing on the Moon stabilized, on top of its magma ocean, a thick buoyant plagioclase lithosphere, which insulated the molten interior. On Earth, the buoyant hydrous phases (serpentines) produced by reactions between the terrestrial magma ocean and the wet impactors received from the outer solar system isolated the magma and kept it molten for some few tens of million years. The planets from the inner solar system accreted dry: foundering of wet surface material softened the terrestrial mantle and set the scene for the onset of plate tectonics. This very same process also may have removed all the water from the surface of Venus and added enough water to its mantle to make its internal dynamics very strong and keep the surface very young. Because of a radius smaller than that of the Earth, not enough water could be drawn into the Martian mantle before it was lost to space and Martian plate tectonics never began. The radius of a planet is therefore the key parameter controlling most of its evolutional features.     

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2016.07.005

The Hadean history of Earth is shrouded in mystery and it is considered that the planet was born dry with no water or atmosphere. The Earth-Moon system had many features in common during the birth stage. Solidification of the dry magma ocean at 4.53 Ga generated primordial continents with komatiite. We speculate that the upper crust was composed of fractionated gabbros and the middle felsic crust by anorthosite at ca. 21 km depth boundary, underlain by meta-anorthosite (grossular + kyanite + quartz) down to 50–60 km in depth. The thickness of the mafic KREEP basalt in the lower crust, separating it from the underlying upper mantle is not well-constrained and might have been up to ca. 100–200 km depending on the degree of fractionation and gravitational stability versus surrounding mantle density. The primordial continents must have been composed of the final residue of dry magma ocean and enriched in several critical elements including Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, P, K, and Cl which were exposed on the surface of the dry Earth. Around 190 million years after the solidification of the magma ocean, “ABEL bombardment” delivered volatiles including H₂O, CO₂, N₂ as well as silicate components through the addition of icy asteroids. This event continued for 200 Myr with subordinate bombardments until 3.9 Ga, preparing the Earth for the prebiotic chemical evolution and as the cradle of first life. Due to vigorous convection arising from high mantle potential temperatures, the primordial continents disintegrated and were dragged down to the deep mantle, marking the onset of Hadean plate tectonics.     

Lost primordial continents

We investigate the bulk density variations of some representative compositions for the lower mantle based on the pressure–volume–temperature equation of state of the constituent mineral phases. The density variations of pyrolite, harzburgite, mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG), and anorthosite are studied at a temperature of 300 K and at lower mantle pressures. The density of MORB is greater than that of pyrolite throughout the lower mantle, while the density of harzburgite is slightly lower than that of pyrolite. The density of anorthosite is comparable to that of pyrolite in the lower mantle in general, and greater in the lowermost mantle, while the density of TTG is lower than pyrolite throughout the lower mantle. The above results have important implications for the fate of primordial continents, TTG and anorthosite crust. While subducted TTG might be stagnant in the mantle transition zone, dense subducted anorthositic crust could be expected to sink to the core–mantle boundary (CMB) and thus might be a major component of the D" layer immediately above the CMB. Thus, we propose that significant bodies of continental material could be present in the mantle in the transition zone and immediately above the CMB, in addition to the continents on the Earth's surface.     

Accretion of Moon and Earth and the emergence of life.

The discrepancy between the impact records on the Earth and Moon in the time period, 4.0-3.5 Ga calls for a re-evaluation of the cause and localization of the late lunar bombardment. As one possible explanation, we propose that the time coverage in the ancient rock record is sufficiently fragmentary, so that the effects of giant, sterilizing impacts throughout the inner solar system, caused by marauding asteroids, could have escaped detection in terrestrial and Martian records. Alternatively, the lunar impact record may reflect collisions of the receding Moon with a series of small, original satellites of the Earth and their debris in the time period about 4.0-3.5 Ga. The effects on Earth of such encounters could have been comparatively small. The location of these tellurian moonlets has been estimated to have been in the region around 40 Earth radii. Calculations presented here, indicate that this is the region that the Moon would traverse at 4.0-3.5 Ga, when the heavy and declining lunar bombardment took place. The ultimate time limit for the emergence of life on Earth is determined by the effects of planetary accretion--existing models offer a variety of scenarios, ranging from low average surface temperature at slow accretion of the mantle, to complete melting of the planet followed by protracted cooling. The choice of accretion model affects the habitability of the planet by dictating the early evolution of the atmosphere and hydrosphere. Further exploration of the sedimentary record on Earth and Mars, and of the chemical composition of impact-generated ejecta on the Moon, may determine the choice between the different interpretations of the late lunar bombardment and cast additional light on the time and conditions for the emergence of life.     

类地行星热物理条件与热演化影响因素分析——以火星地幔热柱演化为例

太阳系内类地行星具有相似的岩石层包围金属核的圈层结构,在行星幔的热演化历史起源方面具有同时性和同源性,并且都在早期变形重力位能加热的基础上随放射性热能衰减而冷却。但是,由于半径、密度、粘度以及表层构造属性等物理条件的差异,其热演化历史各具特色。依据基本的热对流和热传导方程,我们计算分析了类地行星热物理条件差异对行星幔热演化历史的影响。计算表明,类地行星热演化的早期,行星幔热对流是主要的散热方式。半径较大的行星表面热流密度大,平均散热量也大。半径较小的行星内部温差小,粘滞系数高,对流能力低,提早进入传导散热状态,且传导散热的岩石层也比大行星厚。不同边界层热物理条件下,类地行星幔热演化历史会分别出现逐渐冷却的平稳式、包含热柱上涌的波动式、行星幔幕次翻转的周期式等特点不同的热演化过程。火星内部曾经存在的地幔热柱构造与火星地幔热动力学演化过程密切相关。我们从火星地幔热动力学演化模型出发,定量计算与地幔热柱构造演化相关的地幔热动力学演化特征,通过三维球壳数值模拟,研究了火星地幔热演化历史上可能存在的热柱活动造成的火星热演化历史的非单调变化,火星地幔对流环结构随时间的演变方式,以及与边界相关的地幔热柱对火星地形的影响。     

Tectonomagmatic evolution of the Earth and Moon

The Earth and Moon evolved following a similar scenario. The formation of their protocrusts started with upward crystallization of global magmatic oceans. As a result of this process, easily fusible components accumulated in the course of fractional crystallization of melt migrating toward the surface. The protocrusts (granitic in the Earth and anorthositic in the Moon) are retained in ancient continents. The tectonomagmatic activity at the early stage of planet evolution was related to the ascent of mantle plume of the first generation composed of mantle material depleted due to the formation of protocrusts. The regions of extension, rise, and denudation were formed in the Earth above the diffluent heads of such superplumes (Archean granite-greenstone domains and Paleoproterozoic cratons), whereas granulite belts as regions of compression, subsidence, and sedimentation arose above descending mantle flows. The situation may be described in terms of plume tectonics. Gentle uplifts and basins (thalassoids) in lunar continents are probable analogues of these structural elements in the Moon. The period of 2.3–2.0 Ga ago was a turning point in the tectonomagmatic evolution of the Earth, when geochemically enriched Fe-Ti picrites and basalts typical of Phanerozoic within-plate magmatism became widespread. The environmental setting on the Earth’s surface changed at that time, as well. Plate tectonics, currently operating on a global scale, started to develop about ∼2 Ga ago. This turn was related to the origination of thermochemical mantle plumes of the second generation at the interface of the liquid Fe-Ni core and silicate mantle. A similar turning point in the lunar evolution probably occurred 4.2–3.9 Ga ago and completed with the formation of large depressions (seas) with thinned crust and vigorous basaltic magmatism. Such a sequence of events suggests that qualitatively new material previously retained in the planets’ cores was involved in tectonomagmatic processes at the middle stage of planetary evolution. This implies that the considered bodies initially were heterogeneous and were then heated from above to the bottom by propagation of a thermal wave accompanied by cooling of outer shells. Going through the depleted mantle, this wave generated thermal superplumes of the first generation. Cores close to the Fe + FeS eutectics in composition were affected by this wave in the last turn. The melting of the cores resulted in the appearance of thermochemical superplumes and corresponding irreversible rearrangement of geotectonic processes.     

月球的化学演化

月球是一个发生了化学分异的星球,它由月壳、月幔±一个小的金属月核组成。大量观察事实显示月球曾经有过岩浆洋,岩浆洋的结晶分异主导了月球的化学演化。目前主流观点认为,月球是在太阳系演化的早期,至少45亿年前,一个火星大小的星球,与即将完成原始吸积的地球胚胎发生偏心撞击,造成地球的熔融,形成岩浆洋,飞溅出来的物质迅速吸积形成绕地球运动的月球,并且在月球上形成了全球规模的岩浆洋,进而发生了结晶分异。,由于月球上没有海洋和板块俯冲,岩浆洋分异是其化学演化的主要途径。月球岩浆洋的80％～85％在大撞击后的100Ma内已经固化,这可能是由于月球体积小、表面没有大气包裹所致。月球极贫水,因此在岩浆结晶过程中斜长石首先结晶。斜长石由于密度小于玄武质岩浆而漂浮在岩浆洋的表层,橄榄石等密度大的矿物则堆积在岩浆洋的底部。随着结晶分异的进行,残余岩浆不断富集不相容元素,包括K、U等放射性元素;与此同时,密度较大的钛铁矿开始结晶,造成高钛堆晶岩密度大于其下的橄榄石堆晶岩的不稳定结构,进而发生月幔翻转,引发一系列岩浆活动,进而形成月球上特有的镁质系列、碱质系列等岩石。由于月球氧逸度较低,Eu主要以＋2价形式存在,因此斜长石高度富集Eu,相应地除高地斜长岩外,其他岩石均表现为Eu高度亏损的特点。与此同时,Re在低氧逸度下表现为强亲铁元素的特点,Re／Os在月球岩浆过程中不发生分异。月球的体积远小于地球,因而其演化时间远远短于地球,很多原始的分异被完整地保留下来。因此月球的化学演化是类地行星早期演化过程的“化石”,尽管与现代的地球存在较大差异,但是对于认识地球早期演化具有借鉴意义。     

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2016.08.001

Geological observations indicate that there are only a few rocks of Archean Earth and no Hadean rocks on the surface of the present-day Earth. From these facts, many scientists believe that the primordial continents never existed during Hadean Earth, and the continental volume has kept increasing. On the other hand, recent studies reported the importance of the primordial continents on the origin of life, implying their existence. In this paper, we discussed the possible process that could explain the loss of the primordial continents with the assumption that they existed in the Hadean. Although depending on the timing of the initiation of plate tectonics and its convection style, subduction erosion, which is observed on the present-day Earth, might have carried the primordial continents into the deep mantle.     

Apatite as a probe of halogen and water fugacities in the terrestrial planets

Apatite preserves a record of the halogen and water fugacities that existed during the waning stages of crystallization of planetary magmas, when they became saturated in phosphates. We develop a thermodynamic formalism based on apatite-merrillite equilibria that makes it possible to compare the relative values of halogen and water fugacities in Martian, lunar and terrestrial basalts, accounting for possible differences in pressure, temperature and oxygen fugacities among the planets. We show that each of these planetary bodies has distinctive ratios among volatile fugacities at apatite saturation and that these fugacities are in some cases related in a consistent way to volatile fugacities in the mantle magma sources. Our analysis shows that the Martian mantle parental to basaltic SNC meteorites was dry and poor in both fluorine and chlorine compared to the terrestrial mantle. The limited data available from Mars show no secular variation in mantle halogen and water fugacities from ∼4 Ga to ∼180 Ma. The water and halogens found in present-day Martian surface rocks have thus resided in the planet’s surficial systems since at least 4 Ga, and may have been degassed from the planet’s interior during a primordial crust-forming event. In comparison to the Earth and Mars, the Moon, and possibly the eucrite parent body too, appear to be strongly depleted not only in H₂O but also in Cl₂ relative to H₂O. Chlorine depletion is strongest in mare basalts, perhaps reflecting an eruptive process characteristic of large-scale lunar magmatism.     

Do terrestrial planets evolve according to the same scenario? Geological and petrological evidence

The evolution of terrestrial planets (the Earth, Venus, Mars, Mercury, and Moon) was proved to have proceeded according to similar scenarios. The primordial crusts of the Earth, Moon, and, perhaps, other terrestrial planets started to develop during the solidification of their global magmatic “oceans”, a process that propagated from below upward due to the difference in the adiabatic gradient and the melting point gradient. Consequently, the lowest melting components were “forced” toward the surfaces of the planets in the process of crystallization differentiation. These primordial crusts are preserved within ancient continents and have largely predetermined their inner structure and composition. Early tectono-magmatic activity at terrestrial planets was related to the ascent of mantle plumes of the first generation, which consisted of mantle material depleted during the development of the primordial crusts. Intermediate evolutionary stages of the Earth, Moon, and other terrestrial planets were marked by an irreversible change related to the origin of the liquid essentially iron cores of these planets. This process induced the ascent of mantle superplumes of the second generation (thermochemical), whose material was enriched in Fe, Ti, incompatible elements, and fluid components. The heads of these superplumes spread laterally at shallower depths and triggered significant transformations of the upper shells of the planets and the gradual replacement of their primordial crusts of continental type by secondary basaltic crusts. The change in the character of the tectono-magmatic activity was associated with modifications in the environment at the surface of the Earth, Mars, and Venus. The origin of thermochemical mantle plumes testifies that the tectono-magmatic process involved then material of principally different type, which had been previously “conserved” at deep portions of the planets. This was possible only if (1) the planetary bodies initially had a heterogeneous inner structure (with an iron core and silicate mantle made up of chondritic material); and (2) the planetary bodies were heated from their peripheral toward central portions due to the passage of a “thermal wave”, with the simultaneous cooling of the outer shells. The examples of the Earth and Moon demonstrate that the passage of such a “wave” through the silicate mantles of the planets was associated with the generation of mantle plumes of the first generation. When the “wave” reached the cores, whose composition was close to the low-temperature Fe + FeS eutectic, these cores started to melt and gave rise to superplumes of the second generation. The “waves” are thought to have been induced by the acceleration of the rotation of these newly formed planets due to the decrease of their radii because of the compaction of their material. When this process was completed, the rotation of the planets stabilized, and the planets entered their second evolutionary stage. It is demonstrated that terrestrial planets are spontaneously evolving systems, whose evolution was accompanied by the irreversible changes in their tectono-magmatic processes. The evolution of most of these planets (except the Earth) is now completed, so that they “dead” planetary bodies.     

Initiation of leaking Earth: An ultimate trigger of the Cambrian explosion

For life to have dramatically evolved and diversified during the so-called Cambrian explosion, there must have been significant changes in the environmental conditions of Earth. A rapid increase in atmospheric oxygen, which has been discussed as the key factor in the evolution of life, cannot by itself explain such an explosion, since life requires more than oxygen to flourish let alone survive. The supply of nutrients must have played a more critical role in the explosion, including an increase in phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) which are key elements for metabolisms to function. So, what happened at the onset of the Cambrian to bring about changes in environmental conditions and nutrient supply and ultimately evolution of life?An ultimate trigger for the Cambrian explosion is proposed here. The geotherm along subduction zones of a cooling Earth finally became cool enough around 600 Ma to allow slabs to be hydrated. The subduction of these hydrated slabs transferred voluminous water from the ocean to the mantle, resulting in a lowering of the sea level and an associated exceptional exposure of nutrient-enriched continental crust, along with an increase in atmospheric oxygen. This loss of water at the surface of the Earth and an associated increase in exposed landmass is referred to here as leaking Earth. Vast amounts of nutrients began to be carried through weathering, erosion, and transport of the landmass; rock fragments of the landmass would break down into ions during transport to the ocean through river, providing life forms (prokaryote) sufficient nutrients to live and evolve. Also, plume-driven dome-up beneath the continental crusts broadened the surface area providing a supply of nutrients an order magnitude greater than that produced through uplift of mountains by continental collision. Simultaneously, atmospheric oxygen began to increase rapidly due to the burial of dead organic matter by enhanced sedimentation from the emergence of a greater landmass, which ultimately inhibited oxidation of organic matter. Hence, oxygen began to accumulate in the atmosphere, which when coupled with a continuous supply of nutrients, resulted in an explosion of life, including an increase in the size. An enhanced oxygen supply in the atmosphere resulted in the formation of an ozone layer, providing life a shield from the UV radiation of the Sun; this enabled life to invade the land. In addition to a change in the supply of nutrients related to a leaking Earth, the evolution of life was accelerated through mass extinction events such as observed during Snowball Earth, possibly related to a starburst in our galaxy, as well as mutation in the genome due to radiogenic elements sourced from carbonatite magma (atomic bomb magma) in rift valley. There are two requirements to find a habitable planet: (1) the initial mass of an ocean and (2) the size of a planet. These two conditions determine the history of a planet, including planetary tectonics and the birth of life. This newfound perspective, which includes the importance of a leaking planet, provides a dawn of new planetary science and astrobiology.     

地球系统多圈层构造观的基本内涵

地球系统多圈层构造观的基本点是,把地球作为一个活的天体放在宇宙系统之中,更多地考虑地球深部壳-幔-核之间的相互作用,考虑地外天体对地球运动的作用和影响。这一构造观认为:构造运动并不仅仅是岩石圈板块之间的相互作用,而是地球系统的全球动力作用过程;陆与洋是对立统一相互转化的,单纯的大陆增生说是不正确的;地幔对流说至今未被证实,陆块是活动的,但不能大规模漂移;大陆地壳不是单纯地侧向或垂向增生,而是多旋回构造-岩浆作用叠合的产物;地球的构造不是均变式向前发展,而是非均变、非线性、旋回式向前演化的;地球表层在不同地史阶段,均有其受相应深断裂体系控制的不同的构造格局,大西洋-印度洋-太平洋式大洋盆体制,只是在中生代晚期以来才出现的。      

A speculation on the structure of the D″ layer: The growth of anti-crust at the core–mantle boundary through the subduction history of the Earth

The growth curve of the continental crust shows that large amounts of continental crust formed in the early part of the Earth history are missing. In order to test a hypothesis that the former crust was subducted to the deep mantle, we performed phase assemblage analysis in the systems of mid-oceanic ridge basalt (MORB), anorthosite, and tonalite–trondhjemite–granite (TTG) down to the core–mantle boundary (CMB) conditions. Results show that all these materials can be subducted to the CMB leading to the development of a compositional layering in the D″ layer. We speculate that there could be five layers of FeO-enriched melt from partial melting of MORB, MORB crust, anorthosite, TTG, and slab or mantle peridotite in ascending order. Although the polymorphic transformation of perovskite to post-perovskite in (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ may explain the seismic discontinuity at the top of the D″ layer (D″ discontinuity), the effects of solid solution on the sharpness of the transformation suggest that the compositional layering is more plausible for the origin of the D″ discontinuity. The D″ layer can be an “anti-crust” made up mostly of TTG + anorthosite derived from the former continental crust. Tectonic style of the anti-crust at the CMB is similar to that at the surface. At both places, chemically distinct layers are density stratified and are also characterized by the processes of accretion, magmatism, and metasomatism.     

行星地球不均一成因和演化的理论框架初探

地球是太阳系的一部分 ,研究地球的成因和演化必须要与太阳系的形成结合起来。文章在综合最新的地球化学、地球物理和天体化学研究资料的基础上 ,对地球的不均一成因进行了理论上的推导。对星子学说、地球的多阶段堆积模型和地球化学不均一性以及它们的相互关系进行了论述 ,从行星演化的角度阐述地球不均一成因的理论框架。根据行星起源的星子学说 ,以及天体化学、地球化学和深部地质地球化学和地球物理资料的多重限制 ,行星地球的增生经历了两个主要阶段 ,即原地球的形成阶段和晚期星子堆积形成上地幔镶饰层阶段。早前寒武纪岩石的铅、钕、氧同位素的研究表明 ,在地球形成的初期就存在化学不均一性 ,而这种不均一性很可能代表初始堆积星子化学组成的差异     

Continental recycling and true continental growth

Continental crust is very important for evolution of life because most bioessential elements are supplied from continent to ocean. In addition, the distribution of continent affects climate because continents have much higher albedo than ocean, equivalent to cloud. Conventional views suggest that continental crust is gradually growing through the geologic time and that most continental crust was formed in the Phanerozoic and late Proterozoic. However, the thermal evolution of the Earth implies that much amounts of continental crust should be formed in the early Earth. This is “Continental crust paradox”.Continental crust comprises granitoid, accretionary complex, and sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. The latter three components originate from erosion of continental crust because the accretionary and metamorphic complexes mainly consist of clastic materials. Granitoid has two components: a juvenile component through slab-melting and a recycling component by remelting of continental materials. Namely, only the juvenile component contributes to net continental growth. The remains originate from recycling of continental crust. Continental recycling has three components: intracrustal recycling, crustal reworking, and crust–mantle recycling, respectively. The estimate of continental growth is highly varied. Thermal history implied the rapid growth in the early Earth, whereas the present distribution of continental crust suggests the slow growth. The former regards continental recycling as important whereas the latter regarded as insignificant, suggesting that the variation of estimate for the continental growth is due to involvement of continental recycling.We estimated erosion rate of continental crust and calculated secular changes of continental formation and destruction to fit four conditions: present distribution of continental crust (no continental recycling), geochronology of zircons (intracontinental recycling), Hf isotope ratios of zircons (crustal reworking) and secular change of mantle temperature. The calculation suggests some important insights. (1) The distribution of continental crust around at 2.7 Ga is equivalent to the modern amounts. (2) Especially, the distribution of continental crust from 2.7 to 1.6 Ga was much larger than at present, and the sizes of the total continental crust around 2.4, 1.7, and 0.8 Ga became maximum. The distribution of continental crust has been decreasing since then. More amounts of continental crust were formed at higher mantle temperatures at 2.7, 1.9, and 0.9 Ga, and more amounts were destructed after then. As a result, the mantle overturns led to both the abrupt continental formation and destruction, and extinguished older continental crust. The timing of large distribution of continental crust apparently corresponds to the timing of icehouse periods in Precambrian.     

Growing primordial continental crust self-consistently in global mantle convection models

The majority of continental crust formed during the hotter Archean was composed of Tonalite-Trondhjemite-Granodiorite (TTG) rocks. In contrast to the present-day loci of crust formation around subduction zones and intra-plate tectonic settings, TTGs are formed when hydrated basalt melts at garnet-amphibolite, granulite or eclogite facies conditions. Generating continental crust requires a two step differentiation process. Basaltic magma is extracted from the pyrolytic mantle, is hydrated, and then partially melts to form continental crust. Here, we parameterise the melt production and melt extraction processes and show self-consistent generation of primordial continental crust using evolutionary thermochemical mantle convection models. To study the growth of TTG and the geodynamic regime of early Earth, we systematically vary the ratio of intrusive (plutonic) and eruptive (volcanic) magmatism, initial core temperature, and internal friction coefficient. As the amount of TTG that can be extracted from the basalt (or basalt-to-TTG production efficiency) is not known, we also test two different values in our simulations, thereby limiting TTG mass to 10% or 50% of basalt mass. For simulations with lower basalt-to-TTG production efficiency, the volume of TTG crust produced is in agreement with net crustal growth models but overall crustal (basaltic and TTG) composition stays more mafic than expected from geochemical data. With higher production efficiency, abundant TTG crust is produced, with a production rate far exceeding typical net crustal growth models but the felsic to mafic crustal ratio follows the expected trend. These modelling results indicate that (i) early Earth exhibited a “plutonic squishy lid” or vertical-tectonics geodynamic regime, (ii) present-day slab-driven subduction was not necessary for the production of early continental crust, and (iii) the Archean Earth was dominated by intrusive magmatism as opposed to “heat-pipe” eruptive magmatism.     

星地碰撞的板块构造效应

板块构造是一种全球大地构造理论.它以洋底扩张、洋壳边缘俯冲及转换断层为主要构造活动形式,配以地幔对流为原动力,建立一套颇具魅力的板块构造机制理论,被受到广泛认同.但也存在一些重要问题,主要是其地幔对流理念难以令人信服和对海陆格局变迁问题没提出明确的动力机制.在阐明造成板块构造理论这两方面困难问题的主要理由之后,介绍了星地碰撞事件的存在状况及其动力作用,着重论述了大规模星地碰撞的动力作用强大,对全球地质构造活动都有重要影响,板块构造也难以避免;星地碰撞的强烈冲击作用,有能力造成洋底开裂或使大陆裂解.据此设想,可用"星地撞击成缝,减压诱发岩浆上侵"的模式,取代与地球内部层圈结构相抵触的"地幔对流"模式来解释洋底扩张;并以星地碰撞发生地点的随机变化性作为大规模海陆格局变迁的主控原因.如此,则可有助于上述板块构造理论中存在的两大难题的解决.     

A new generation of the tectonic-geodynamic model of the earth: Review of the problem

Presented are the review and analysis of a series of works of Russian scientists devoted to the motion of continents and to global tectonics and geodynamics. The increasing number of publications on this subject is accounted for by controversy and imperfection of some theoretical aspects of plate tectonics. This is especially true of processes in deep mantle geospheres. The analysis performed shows that a transition to creating tectonogeodynamic models of a new generation has already started. Important components of the models are the development of the problem of a detached continent drift, primarily, mechanisms of this motion. The publications under consideration provide insight into several such mechanisms: the effect of the tidal forces of the Moon and Sun, which induce discrete wave motion in all mantle geospheres down to the core; the difference in density of oceanic and continental masses; the continental drift over the mantle as a result of cohesion; and the tectonic flow, which implies a structure-forming motion of both minor (at the microlevel) and major rock masses in the Earth’s crust and mantle. The globalization of tectonic and geodynamic models has already allowed the advance of such a timely problem as the history of the geologic evolution of deep geospheres.