An international geology team has determined that 3.1 billion years ago, water descended into Earth's depths, triggering volcanic eruptions.
In a new study conducted in Australia, a team led by geochemist Dr. Eric Vandenburg from the University of Adelaide examined the oldest volcanic rocks in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Analyses revealed that volcanic formations similar to today's Pacific Ring of Fire occurred due to water descending kilometers deep into the earth, triggering magma.
DESCENDED DEEP USING 'DROP LOSS' METHOD
Researchers noted that in the early stages of Earth, modern plate movements could not occur due to the extreme heat, and water reached the mantle through a different mechanism they called 'drop loss.' In this process, water-rich heavy fragments in the cold outer crust gradually sank into the hot mantle, and the released water formed magma that fueled massive volcanic eruptions.
Dr. Vandenburg emphasized that the findings show early Earth was not static as previously thought, but extremely dynamic. Scientists reported that the data obtained provides a critical turning point in understanding the initial formation stages of continents and how Earth's current geological structure evolved.
