Coexisting divergent and convergent plate boundary assemblages indicate plate tectonics in the Neoarchean.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 36307406.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-34214-8 and PMC identifier 9616927.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The coexistence of divergent (spreading ridge) and convergent (subduction zone) plate boundaries at which lithosphere is respectively generated and destroyed is the hallmark of plate tectonics. Here, we document temporally- and spatially-associated Neoarchean (2.55-2.51 Ga) rock assemblages with mid-ocean ridge and supra-subduction-zone origins from the Angou Complex, southern North China Craton. These assemblages record seafloor spreading and contemporaneous subduction initiation and mature arc magmatism, respectively, analogous to modern divergent and convergent plate boundary processes. Our results provide direct evidence for lateral plate motions in the late Neoarchean, and arguably the operation of plate tectonics, albeit with warmer than average Phanerozoic subduction geotherms. Further, we surmise that plate tectonic processes played an important role in shaping Earth's surficial environments during the Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic.