New research has dramatically reshaped our understanding of Earth’s early geological history, overturning traditional beliefs about how the planet’s first continents came into being. Researchers from ...

Scientists have revealed that two continent-size regions in Earth's deep mantle have distinctive histories and resulting chemical composition, in contrast to the common assumption they are the same. A ...

Researchers have made a new discovery that changes our understanding of Earth's early geological history, challenging beliefs about how our continents formed and when plate tectonics began. A study ...

The history of Earth is written on the great tablets of tectonic plates. The motions of plates shaped land masses, formed oceans, and created the varied climates and habitats that set the stage for ...

Explore 25 Major Events in Earth's 4.5 Billion Year History. Discover pivotal moments from its formation to the rise of life.

New isotopic evidence is rewriting the story of Earth's first continents. Imagine the planet nearly 3.8 billion years ago: a ...

Disregard what you learned in geography class—Earth may not have seven continents after all. From the earliest of grades, schoolchildren around the world have memorized the same lineup: Africa, ...

As a kid, it was tough for me to grasp the massive time scale of Earth’s history. Now, with nearly two decades of experience as a geologist, I think one of the best ways to understand our planet’s ...

Visualisation of seismic model S40RTS (Ritsema et al., 2011), showing the LLVP (large red area) under Africa, made using the GPlates software. Credit: Jeroen Ritsema et al. A new study led by ...