When did the Earth’s tectonic plates begin to form? This is the answer

The earth is made up of several tiles as building blocks. One is tectonic plates or large layers that move and collide to form the Earth’s layers. But, when did tectonic plates begin to form?

Scientists have different ideas about when plate tectonics first formed on Earth. Anything?

Formation of tectonic plates based on rocks

A geologist from the University of Texas, Robert Stern explained that tectonic plates may have been formed in the Neoproterozoic era which occurred approximately 1 billion to 541 million years ago. This is based on geological records that show an abundance of ophiolite and blue schist in subduction zones.

Ophiolites are pieces of ocean debris that are pushed onto land, and blueschists are a type of rock that forms when tectonic plates collide and dive into the ground. At the same time, subduction is a process when one tectonic plate moves under another plate.

Therefore, according to Stern, the presence of ophiolite and schist proves that plate tectonics occurred during the Neoproterozoic. However, scientists believe that Stern’s opinion is too conservative.

Formation of tectonic plates based on chemical content

Many scientists believe that plate tectonics began to form around 2.5 to 3.8 billion years ago, during the Archean period. This is based on the chemical composition of the Earth’s crust.

According to a study published in PubMed National Library of Medicine in 2012, by Chris J. Hawkesworth and his colleagues, about 3 billion years ago, much of the Earth’s waste began to undergo a recycling process, introduction of plate tectonics.

“This could indicate a major change in which the Earth’s crust began to be destroyed and reworked during the subduction process,” said professor emeritus of geology from the University of St. John’s Andrews in England, Chris Hawkesworth in Living scienceannounced on Thursday (7/11/2024).

At the same time, Earth and Planetary scientist from Harvard University, Nadja Drabon, explained that the crustal movement that happened around 3.6 billion years ago can be confirmed from zircon or a mineral that resists rock dissolution.

The zircon structures found at that time began to look similar to those found in present-day subduction zones. This suggests that the Earth’s crust may have moved earlier than previously thought.

“The litter also became shorter around that time, again indicating a subtractive recycling process,” Drabon said.

A study published in Nature on June 14, 2023 by John A. Tarduno and his colleagues revealed that zircon grains have been in place for more than 3.4 billion years. This proves that the earth did not move on Earth until that time.

In this case, Drabon explained that plate tectonics may have appeared at a different time than subduction, or about 3.8 billion years ago when the Earth’s crust began to move and create mass- lands

However, estimates of the formation of tectonic plates remain a mystery. Various ideas put forward by experts still have weaknesses, both in terms of rock products and chemical content in the earth’s crust.

Plate Tectonic Theory

Referring to the website of the University of Gadjah Mada (UGM), there is a theory of plate tectonics that is related to the theory of continental drift.

As is known, about 250 million years ago, tectonic plates collided into one continent, namely Pangea. This continent then broke into two, namely Laurasia and Gondwana.

This division of one continent into two continents became the theory of continental plate motion. In this theory, the continents that were divided then create land and seas.

At the same time, the mantle convection force on the continental plate drives the process of creating two tectonic plates, namely the continental plate and the oceanic plate. The mantle convection force is a force caused by geothermal pressure.

Over millions of years, the force of mantle convection causes a rift to appear and separates one continental plate into two parts. As time increases, the gaps between the continental plates become wider and form oceanic plates.

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