Earth’s continental crust may have begun forming hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought, Yale scientists say — and the reason will be obvious to anyone who has ever baked a cake ...

Fresh evidence suggests early Earth wasn’t locked under a rigid stagnant lid but was already experiencing intense subduction.

New research has dramatically reshaped our understanding of Earth’s early geological history, overturning traditional beliefs about how the planet’s first continents came into being. Researchers from ...

A new study reveals surprising clues about the beginnings of subduction on Earth. The Hadean Eon, which lasted from 4.6 to 4.0 billion years ago, is still the least understood period in Earth’s past.

Spiral Galaxy from Kirkland et al. CREDIT Chris Kirkland and colleagues. A new study of zircon crystals from two of Earth’s oldest continents indicates that the formation of Earth’s continental crust ...

Earth’s journey through the Milky Way might have helped create the planet’s first continents. Comets may have bombarded Earth every time the early solar system traveled through our galaxy’s spiral ...

For decades, geologists have known that a huge portion of Earth’s earliest continental crust simply vanished from the rock ...

The crusty conundrum carries fundamental implications. The thickness of continental crust — the part of Earth’s crust that forms land masses and continents — plays an important role in everything from ...

Discover the top 7 oldest rocks in the world, their ages, locations, and scientific importance. Learn how these ancient formations reveal Earth’s earliest history.

Scientists are observing a new ocean forming in Africa's Afar region, a unique geological hotspot. Early magnetic surveys ...