page_title: Earth's crustal evolution
section_title: Initiation of plate tectonics
hierarchical_section_title: Earth's crustal evolution / Initiation of plate tectonics
caption_attribution_description: English: initiation of subduction and plate tectonics
context_page_description: Earth's crustal evolution involves the formation, destruction and renewal of the rocky outer shell at that planet's surface.
  The variation in composition within the Earth's crust is much greater than that of other terrestrial planets. Mars, Venus, Mercury and other planetary bodies have relatively quasi-uniform crusts unlike that of the Earth which contains both oceanic and continental plates. This unique property reflects the complex series of crustal processes that have taken place throughout the planet's history, including the ongoing process of plate tectonics.
  The proposed mechanisms regarding Earth's crustal evolution take a theory-orientated approach. Fragmentary geologic evidence and observations provide the basis for hypothetical solutions to problems relating to the early Earth system. Therefore, a combination of these theories creates both a framework of current understanding and also a platform for future study.
caption: A schematic evolutionary diagram showing the impact of a mantle plume on the early lithosphere (dark blue) and surface proto-crust (brown). This initiated subduction and subsequent global plate tectonics within a previously unseparated lithosphere that had no lateral surface movement.Modified from [17]
exif: {}