The Archaean is a geologic eon of Earth history spanning approximately 4.0 to 2.5 billion years ago, following the Hadean and preceding the Proterozoic. It is characterized by high heat flow, a largely anoxic atmosphere, and the stabilization of the first substantial continental crust, dominated by granite–greenstone terranes and high-grade gneiss complexes. Plate tectonic processes were likely more vigorous due to higher mantle temperatures, influencing crustal growth and metamorphism. The Archaean also encompasses the earliest widely accepted evidence of life, primarily prokaryotic microorganisms, preserved in stromatolites and microfossils, which played a foundational role in shaping subsequent biospheric and geochemical evolution.
A new study uncovered fresh chemical evidence of life in rocks more than 3.3 billion years old, along with molecular traces showing that oxygen-producing photosynthesis emerged nearly a billion years earlier than previously ...
Astrobiology
Nov 17, 2025
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An analysis of feldspar crystals within the oldest magmatic rocks in Australia has provided a unique insight into Earth's ancient mantle and continents, and the early beginnings of the moon.
Planetary Sciences
Nov 3, 2025
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In the beginning, Earth was a violent place with no atmosphere to soften the blow.
Planetary Sciences
Oct 28, 2025
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The appearance of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere was a turning point in the history of our planet, forever transforming the environment and setting the stage for complex life. This event, known as the Great Oxidation Event ...
Astrobiology
Oct 9, 2025
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82
Earth was not always the blue-green world we know today: early Earth's oxygen levels were about a million times lower than we now experience. There were no forests and no animals. For ancient organisms, oxygen was toxic. ...
Ecology
Sep 25, 2025
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47
Subduction, a crucial geological process on Earth, may have begun hundreds of millions of years earlier than traditionally believed.
Earth Sciences
Aug 7, 2025
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Geologists from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have made a breakthrough in understanding how Earth's early continents formed during the Archean time, more than 2.5 billion years ago. Their findings, recently published ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 3, 2025
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New Curtin-led research has revealed that water played a far bigger role than previously thought in shaping Earth's first continents, transforming the planet's early crust and helping to build the landmasses we see today.
Earth Sciences
Apr 15, 2025
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66
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.
Earth Sciences
Apr 2, 2025
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Curtin University researchers have discovered the world's oldest known meteorite impact crater, which could significantly redefine our understanding of the origins of life and how our planet was shaped.
Planetary Sciences
Mar 6, 2025
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