Planetary science

New research led by Curtin University geologists suggests that regions of space with dense interstellar clouds may send more high-energy comets crashing to the surface of the Earth, seeding enhanced production of continental crust. The findings challenge the existing theory that Earth’s continental crust was solely formed by processes inside our planet. Earth is unique among the known planets in having continents, whose formation has fundamentally influenced the composition of the mantle, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Cycles in the production of continental crust have long been recognized and generally ascribed to the periodic aggregation and dispersal of Earth’s continental crust as part of the supercontinent cycle. However, such cyclicity is also evident in some of Earth’s most ancient rocks that Read More ›