Abstract
Plate tectonics, involving a globally linked system of lateral motion of rigid surface plates, is a characteristic feature of our planet, but estimates of how long it has been the modus operandi of lithospheric formation and interactions range from the Hadean to the Neoproterozoic. In this paper, we review sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic proxies along with palaeomagnetic data to infer both the development of rigid lithospheric plates and their independent relative motion, and conclude that significant changes in Earth behaviour occurred in the mid- to late Archaean, between 3.2 Ga and 2.5 Ga. These data include: sedimentary rock associations inferred to have accumulated in passive continental margin settings, marking the onset of sea-floor spreading; the oldest foreland basin deposits associated with lithospheric convergence; a change from thin, new continental crust of mafic composition to thicker crust of intermediate composition, increased crustal reworking and the emplacement of potassic and peraluminous granites, indicating stabilization of the lithosphere; replacement of dome and keel structures in granite-greenstone terranes, which relate to vertical tectonics, by linear thrust imbricated belts; the commencement of temporally paired systems of intermediate and high dT/dP gradients, with the former interpreted to represent subduction to collisional settings and the latter representing possible hinterland back-arc settings or ocean plateau environments. Palaeomagnetic data from the Kaapvaal and Pilbara cratons for the interval 2780–2710 Ma and from the Superior, Kaapvaal and Kola-Karelia cratons for 2700–2440 Ma suggest significant relative movements. We consider these changes in the behaviour and character of the lithosphere to be consistent with a gestational transition from a non-plate tectonic mode, arguably with localized subduction, to the onset of sustained plate tectonics.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Earth dynamics and the development of plate tectonics'.
Highlights
Plate tectonics is a key feature of our planet
We conclude that significant changes in Earth behaviour occurred in the Meso- to Neoarchaean, around 3.2–2.5 Ga, and that these changes are consistent with the transition from a pre-plate tectonic, stagnant-lid setting, in which any subduction was transient, to a regime of sustained plate tectonics, involving a linked system of convergent, divergent and strike-slip plate boundaries
We found three time intervals around 2680 Ma, 2505 Ma and 2440 Ma that contain coeval reliable palaeomagnetic data from the Superior and Kola-Karelian cratons with additional reliable palaeopoles reported from the Kaapvaal craton for ca 2680 and 2440 Ma
Summary
Plate tectonics is a key feature of our planet. The generation of lithospheric plates and their interactions with mantle, atmosphere and oceans have produced the environment and resources that support the biosphere. A variety of non-plate tectonic modes related to evolving tectonothermal environments have been observed or proposed for other bodies in the solar system and for the early Earth ([6] and references therein) Those advocating a pre-plate tectonic regime for the early Earth generally invoke a fixed or episodically mobile lithosphere, often referred to as a stagnant-lid, but perhaps more appropriately as a single-lid. Uncertainty into the nature and presence of pre-plate tectonic regimes and the timing of any change in tectonic regimes relates to the incompleteness of the rock archive in deep time, differences in the criteria used to infer the existence of plate tectonic and pre-plate tectonic regimes on the early Earth (ca greater than 2.5 Ga), and disagreements in the significance and interpretation of available data. We conclude that significant changes in Earth behaviour occurred in the Meso- to Neoarchaean, around 3.2–2.5 Ga, and that these changes are consistent with the transition from a pre-plate tectonic, stagnant-lid setting, in which any subduction was transient, to a regime of sustained plate tectonics, involving a linked system of convergent, divergent and strike-slip plate boundaries
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