Asteroids May Have Delayed The Birth of Earth's First Continents
Geologists from Curtin University suggest that intense asteroid bombardment during the Hadean eon prevented Earth's early crust from stabilizing. By studying the Moon's impact history, researchers believe this period of constant collisions kept the planet's surface molten and weak.
Why it matters
Understanding this period helps explain the 'geological black hole' of Earth's early history and how planetary formation was shaped by external cosmic events.
Add ScienceAlert on Google An AI simulation of an impact shows basalt-rich (purple) and basalt-poor (green) regions. (Curtin University) The planet Earth we live on today bears very few traces of its infancy.
The content is based on scientific research and geological theory without subjective bias.
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