The mountains of central Japan have a distinctive geological chemistry Moonie’s World Photography/Alamy
Plate tectonics may have begun 4 billion years ago, almost a billion years earlier than we thought, according to a new analysis of ancient rocks.
The claim has earned a mixed response from geologists. Many argue that Earth was too hot at the time for plate tectonics in its modern form.
Today, Earth’s crust is divided into , which move around over millions of years. Where two plates meet, one can be forced under the other and destroyed inside the planet, a…
