Earth's Oldest RocksMartin J. Van Kranendonk, Vickie Bennett, Hugh R.H. Smithies Earth’s Oldest Rocks provides a comprehensive overview of all aspects of early Earth, from planetary accretion through to development of protocratons with depleted lithospheric keels by c. 3.2 Ga, in a series of papers written by over 50 of the world's leading experts. The book is divided into two chapters on early Earth history, ten chapters on the geology of specific cratons, and two chapters on early Earth analogues and the tectonic framework of early Earth. Individual contributions address topics that range from planetary accretion, a review of Earth meteorites, significance and composition of Hadean protocrust, composition of Archaean mantle and deep crust, all aspects of the geology of Paleoarchean cratons, composition of Archean oceans and hydrothermal environments, evidence and geological settings of early life, early Earth analogues from Venus and New Zealand, and a tectonic framework for early Earth. * Contains comprehensive reviews of areas of ancient lithosphere on Earth, of planetary accretion processes, and of meteorites* Focuses on specific aspects of early Earth, including oldest putative life forms, evidence of the composition of the ancient atmosphere-hydrosphere, and the oldest evidence for subduction-accretion* Presents an overview of geological processes and model of the tectonic framework on early Earth |
Contents
19 | |
125 | |
Part 4 The Paleoarchean Pilbara Craton Western Australia | 305 |
Part 5 The Paleoarchean Kaapvaal Craton Southern Africa | 451 |
Part 6 Paleoarchean Gneiss Terranes | 729 |
Part 7 Life on Earl Yearth | 839 |
Part 8 Tectonicson Early Earth | 985 |
References | 1117 |
1291 | |
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Common terms and phrases
accretion amphibolite Archean Assean Lake assemblages barite basalt BGGT Ca-Al-rich inclusions carbon carbonaceous chert chondrites continental crust Coonterunah crustal deformation depleted deposits detrital zircons domains Duffer emplacement evolution facies felsic felsic volcanic flow fractionation garnet geochemical geological Gneiss Complex grains Granitic Complex granitoid granodiorite granulite Hadean high-Al hydrothermal igneous indicate interpreted intrusive isotopic isotopic compositions Isua Jack Hills kerogen Komati komatiitic komatiitic basalt Kranendonk Kromberg Kröner lava layered low-Al low-Sr mafic magmatic mantle melting metamorphic metasedimentary rocks meteorites mineral model ages Mojzsis Narryer Neoarchean Nutman older oldest Onverwacht orogenic orthogneiss Paleoarchean Paleoproterozoic Pilbara Craton plutons protolith quartz quartzite ratios samples schist sedimentary sediments sequence shear zones silica SiO2 Sm-Nd Smithies spinifex Stolzburg stromatolites structural subduction suggest sulphur isotopes Superior Craton supracrustal tectonic temperature Terrane thick tholeiitic tonalitic trace element trondhjemitic U-Pb ultramafic units veins volcanic rocks zircon zircon ages