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Earth science

A resolution of the Archaean paradox

Nature volume 501, pages 496–497 (2013)Cite this article

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A model of early Earth, in which heat from the interior is carried to the surface through volcanic heat pipes, suggests that our planet 4 billion years ago had more in common with Jupiter's moon Io than with today's Earth. See Article p.501

Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago from collisions between proto-planetary fragments. At that time, enough heat was trapped to melt much of Earth's interior; the segregation of the dense metallic core released still more heat; and a rich concentration of radioactive elements would have ensured that the interior stayed hot. This was the Earth of the Hadean eon, and only individual crystals are left of the rocks from that time. The first whole rocks in the geological record date from the Archaean eon, which started around 4 billion years ago. Despite all expectations of a hot young Earth, these first rocks reveal that the deep continental crust of the Archaean was no hotter than that of today. This puzzling observation is often known as the Archaean paradox. Reporting on page 501 of this issue, Moore and Webb1 offer a resolution to it.

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Figure 1: Jupiter's moon Io.

UNIVERSAL HISTORY ARCHIVE/UIG VIA GETTY IMAGES

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  1. Louis Moresi is in the School of Mathematical Sciences and the School of Geosciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.,

    Louis Moresi

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  1. Louis Moresi
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Correspondence to Louis Moresi.

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Moresi, L. A resolution of the Archaean paradox. Nature 501, 496–497 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/501496a

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