Geological Evidence for the Operation of Plate Tectonics throughout the Archean:Records from Archean Paleo-Plate Boundaries

作     者：Timothy M.Kusky Brian F.Windley Ali Polat 无

作者机构：State Key Laboratory for Geological Processes and Mineral ResourcesChina University of Geosciences Center for Global TectonicsSchool of Earth SciencesChina University of Geosciences Department of GeologyUniversity of Leicester Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Windsor 

出 版 物：《Journal of Earth Science》 (地球科学学刊（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2018年第29卷第6期

页      面：1291-1303页

核心收录：

学科分类：070904[理学-构造地质学] 070903[理学-古生物学与地层学(含：古人类学)] 0709[理学-地质学] 07[理学] 0708[理学-地球物理学] 0704[理学-天文学] 

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.91755213,41672212,41572203) the MOST Special Fund (No.MSFGPMR02-3) the Opening Fund (Nos.GPMR201607,201701) the State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources,China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) 

主　　题：Archean tectonics ophiolite OPS(oceanic plate stratigraphy) orogeny 

摘      要：Plate tectonics describes the horizontal motion of rigid lithospheric plates away from midoceanic ridges and parallel to transforms, towards deep-sea trenches, where the oceanic lithosphere is subducted into the mantle. This process is the surface expression of modern-day heat loss from Earth. One of the biggest questions in Geosciences today is ＂when did plate tectonics begin on Earth＂ with a wide range of theories based on an equally diverse set of constraints from geology, geochemistry, numerical modeling, or pure speculation. In this contribution, we turn the coin over and ask ＂when was the last appearance in the geological record for which there is proof that plate tectonics did not operate on the planet as it does today＂. We apply the laws of uniformitarianism to the rock record to ask how far back in time is the geologic record consistent with presently-operating kinematics of plate motion, before which some other mechanisms of planetary heat loss may have been in operation. Some have suggested that evidence shows that there was no plate tectonics before 800 Ma ago, others sometime before 1.8–2.7 Ga, or before 2.7 Ga. Still others recognize evidence for plate tectonics as early as 3.0 Ga, 3.3–3.5 Ga, the age of the oldest rocks, or in the Hadean before 4.3 Ga. A key undiscussed question is： why is there such a diversity of opinion about the age at which plate tectonics can be shown to not have operated, and what criteria are the different research groups using to define plate tectonics, and to recognize evidence of plate tectonics in very old rocks？ Here, we present and evaluate data from the rock record, constrained by relevant geochemical-isotopic data, and conclude that the evidence shows indubitably that plate tectonics has been operating at least since the formation of the oldest rocks, albeit with some differences in processes, compositions, and products in earlier times of higher heat generation and mantle temperature, weaker oceanic lithosphere, hotte