The Earth is made up of three main layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core.
The laser paves the way for the discovery of ancient crust.
Curtin University Using a laser smaller than a human hair to target tiny grains of minerals extracted from beach sand, the researchers discovered evidence of the Earth’s crust, which is about four billion years old, beneath southwestern Western Australia.
The Timescales of Mineral Systems Group at Curtin School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Ph.D. Student Maximilian Trollner, a laser was used to vaporize portions of individual grains of the mineral zircon, revealing where the grains were originally eroded and the geological history of the area. The new discovery helps explain how the planet evolved from being uninhabitable to supporting life.
“There is evidence that a crust the size of Ireland, which is about four billion years old, has influenced the geological evolution of Western Australia over the past few billion years,” says Trollner.
“This crust has survived several mountain-building events between Australia, India and Antarctica and appears to be still present at a depth of tens of kilometers in the southwest corner of Western Australia. Comparing our findings with existing data, it appears that many regions around the world experienced a similar period of early crust formation and preservation, and this represents an important change in the Earth’s evolution about four billion years ago, when meteor bombardment subsided, crust settled, and life began to establish itself on the ground.
Research Supervisor of the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group at the Curtin School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Dr. Milo Parham said that no large-scale study has been done in this area before, and the results are encouraging when compared to existing data. New vision.
“The ancient crust margin defines an important boundary of the crust where economically important minerals are located,” said Dr. Parham.
“Identification of ancient crustal remnants is critical for the future of optimal exploration of sustainable resources. Studying the early Earth is challenging given the immensity of the past, but it is of profound importance to our understanding of the importance of life on Earth and our quest to find other planets.”
Reference: Maximilian Trollner, Christopher L. Kirkland, Milo Parham, Noreen J. Evans and Bradley J. MacDonald, 17 June 2022, “Hedia-Orchia Continuous Plantation in West Wellcorne Craton, Western Australia”. Terra Nova.
DOI: 10.1111 / III.12610
the master. Trollner, Dr.; Parham and research co-author Professor Chris Kirkland of the Institute for Geosciences Research (TIGeR). The research was funded by the Curtin Geosciences Research Institute by the Western Australian Institute of Mineral Research.