Scientists can use a variety of clues to find out what lies beneath the earth’s surface without having to drill anything — including firing ultra-precision lasers thinner than a human hair at minerals in beach sand.
This technique has been used in a new study showing a 4 billion-year-old piece of Earth’s crust roughly the size of Ireland, which has been beneath Western Australia and influenced the region’s geological evolution over millions of years.
This may provide clues as to how our planet went from being uninhabitable to supporting life.
The researchers believe that the massive expansion of the crust will greatly influence rock formation as old material mixes with new, as it first emerged as one of the oldest prostate formations on the planet that has survived many mountain building events.
“When comparing our findings with existing data, it appears that many regions around the world experienced a similar time of formation and preservation of the early cortex.” said doctoral student of geology and lead author Maximilian Droelnerfrom Curtin University, Australia.
“This represents a significant change in Earth’s evolution about 4 billion years ago, when meteorite bombardment decreased, crust settled, and life on Earth began to form.”
A laser was used to vaporize zircon mineral grains taken from sand samples taken from rivers and beaches in Western Australia.
Technically known as laser ablation with plasma mass spectrometry coupled with laser induction, this method allows scientists to date grains and compare them with others to see where they came from.
The team provides insight into subsurface crystal domes in a given region – showing where the grains were originally eroded, the forces used to create them, and how the geology of the region formed over time.
In addition to the importance of the extant protozoan remains – some 100,000 square kilometers (38,610 sq mi) – the boundaries of the block will also help scientists determine what is hidden deep beneath the Earth’s surface, and how it evolved. to be in its current state.
“The cut edges of ancient crust appear to mark important crustal boundaries that control where to find economically important minerals,” Geological Research Supervisor Milo Parham said:from Curtin University.
“Identification of ancient crustal remains is important for future optimal exploration of sustainable resources.”
As you might expect after 4 billion years, there isn’t much of Earth’s original crust left to study, which makes results like these all the more interesting and useful to scientists – providing us with an important window into the distant past.
It is difficult to predict shifts in the Earth’s crust and the eddies of the hot mantle beneath and map them in retrospect. When evidence of internal movement and geology can be found on the surface, scientists are very interested in exploiting it.
In addition, the results of the research described here can help scientists search for other planets – how these planets formed, how their first crust formed, and even how alien life could have arisen on them.
“Studying the early Earth is challenging because of the amount of time that has passed, but it is critical to understanding the importance of life on Earth and our quest to find it on other planets.” Braham says.
This research was published in the journal New land.
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