Earth's Ancient Tectonic Shifts May Have Started Much Earlier than We Thought

Earth's ancient tectonic shifts may have started much earlier than we thought

A new study is shaking up our understanding of how Earth’s surface first began to move and change. Scientists now believe that subduction—the powerful process where parts of the Earth’s outer crust sink deep into the planet’s interior—may have started hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought. This research, published in Nature Communications, […] The post Earth’s ancient tectonic shifts may have started much earlier than we …

Early Earth may have had active plate tectonics far sooner than thought

Paris, France (SPX) Aug 08, 2025 Researchers investigating the Hadean Eon, which lasted from 4.6 to 4.0 billion years ago, have uncovered signs that plate tectonics began far earlier than widely assumed. The era started with Earth's formation and a colossal Mars-sized impact that created the Moon, melting the planet's interior. Crust solidification occurred about 4.5 billion years ago, but subsequent tectonic activity has been