Dr Tim Johnson led the study, which examined minerals from the Pilbara in Western Australia. The paper is set to be published in the journal Nature later this year.
The Pilbara region is home to the world’s best-preserved remnants of Earth’s ancient crust. It is not the first time that scientific studies of the region’s rocks have unearthed ancient secrets, with the oldest meteorite ever discovered on Earth found in the region.
“By examining tiny crystals of the mineral zircon in rocks from the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia … we found evidence of these giant meteorite impacts,” Johnson said.
==
==
“Studying the composition of oxygen isotopes in these zircon crystals revealed a ‘top-down’ process starting with the melting of rocks near the surface and progressing deeper, consistent with the geological effect of giant meteorite impacts.”
The theory that Earth’s continents formed on the sites of huge meteor impacts has been around for decades, but there has been no supporting evidence.
“Our research provides the first solid evidence that the processes that ultimately formed the continents began with giant meteorite impacts, similar to those responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, but which occurred billions of years earlier,” said Johnson, who works at Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
The research conducted by the team will provide useful information about the continued evolution of the earth’s continents.
PROMOTED CONTENT
Johnson said that this was crucial given that the continents are home to most of Earth’s biomass and vital mineral deposits.
“Not least, the continents host critical metals such as lithium, tin and nickel, commodities that are essential to the emerging green technologies needed to fulfil our obligation to mitigate climate change,” he said.
Johnson’s team is keen to expand their research and continue to test their model across other regions.
“Data related to other areas of ancient continental crust on Earth appears to show patterns similar to those recognised in Western Australia. We would like to test our findings on these ancient rocks to see if, as we suspect, our model is more widely applicable.”
The work being performed by the team also has useful implications for extraterrestrial planetary science, providing scientists with more in-depth knowledge about the consequences of meteorite impacts and continental formation.
Liam McAneny
Liam McAneny is a journalist who has written and edited for his University International Relations journal. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (International Relations) and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Wollongong in 2021. He joined Momentum Media in 2022 and currently writes for SpaceConnect and Australian Aviation. Liam has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations as well as astronomy.
Send Liam an email at: [email protected]
Receive the latest developments and updates on Australia’s space industry direct to your inbox. Subscribe today to Space Connect here.
