How was the earth formed? Human scientists have never stopped studying this topic, hoping to explore the origin and origin of the earth.
Researching the origin of the earth is a lifelong pursuit of scientists. Through the analysis of the ancient earth's crust, the composition of zircon records the slow evolution of the earth's continental plates over billions of years.
Where do scientists study the composition of the earth's crust? It is the study of the mineral zircon in the basement rock of the Australian Sub-Pilbara Craton. By studying the tiny crystals of these zircon components, we can read the secrets of the earth stored in it and find strong evidence of the impact of the meteorite .
Scientists can use the latest high-tech means to look back at the earth billions of years ago, just like through a time machine. At that time, the earth's continental plates were formed due to the impact of meteorites, and these meteorites and scientists speculated that dinosaurs The meteorite that wiped out was very close.
The strong basis found by geologists is the zircon crystals in the igneous rocks of the earth's crust. After the determination of these components and rigorous calculations, it was determined that the formation year has been billions of years.
In the scientific community, the idea that continents were formed due to meteorite impacts on the Earth has actually existed for many years. However, scientists have been unable to find strong evidence to prove it, so it can only be regarded as a speculation and conjecture.
At that time, it was very common for the earth to be hit by meteorites, because the earth billions of years ago had been hit by countless celestial bodies, but there were not as many impact craters on the surface of the earth as the moon, so it was easily ignored. The fact that was once often hit by meteorites and celestial bodies.
So why doesn’t the Earth leave so many impact marks?
Because the earth is different from the moon, the earth has an atmosphere as a buffer and protection. Many celestial bodies and meteorites will change direction and landing point when passing through the atmosphere. Smaller celestial bodies have already burned with the thick atmosphere before they can touch the surface of the earth. That’s it, so over the course of billions of years, the impact of extraterrestrial meteorites on the earth has been greatly reduced, and they won’t actually create tens of thousands of craters like they did when they hit the moon.
Many netizens don’t understand. They feel that scientists are always clinging to the earth billions of years ago. What’s the point of studying this?
In fact, the more humans understand about the development and geological evolution of the earth, the more helpful it will be to understand the future changes of the earth, and it will also be more helpful to the improvement of human living environment and human beings themselves.
There is a saying that knowledge of the past is a reflection of the present. The development of all things does not change at will, but has certain natural laws. Through research, scientists have proven the origin of the earth and the formation of continents, and then have implications for the future of humankind's earth home. More understanding can even provide more inspiration for the future human living environment.
Do the continental plates contain the secrets of mankind?
Human beings are living beings on the surface of the earth. The formation of the continental plates allowed humans to exist on the earth. Almost all resources and mineral deposits are stored in the continental plates. By studying the continental plates, scientists can even understand the origin of human beings. There will also be the possibility of increased understanding.
There are various important metal components on land, such as lithium, nickel and other metals that are commonly used by people today. Currently, scientific and technological means are using these metals to develop and create new energy. The formation of these mineral deposits is related to the process of the formation of the continental crust. There is a close connection. The reason why Australian scientists conduct research there is because it is the area where the earliest land plates were formed. Although it is only one of many land plates for the earth, being able to read the hidden secrets of the ancient earth may have already The door opened a crack.
Based on the oxygen isotopes discovered by scientists in zircon crystals, they can read the cycles of the formation of land plates in ancient rocks. About 3.5 billion years ago, a terrifying number of asteroids hit the earth, and the largest one was hit by a giant meteorite. The area is about 40 kilometers. Part of the earth's crust was blown away in a violent explosion. The melted mantle arched upward to form an ocean plateau. The high temperature at the bottom formed granite. These rocks were pushed by the surge of hot magma . Gradually increases the strength of the land plates.
The zircon crystals discovered by Australian scientists this time and the composition measured in the igneous rocks of the earth's crust can confirm the speculation that the earth formed continents due to impacts. So, can this view allow the controversial scientists to reach a unified conclusion?
The scientific community cannot yet unify its views, because some people still firmly believe that the earth's continental plates were formed by the expansion of the earth's interior. Because almost all land plates on the earth are broken and embedded in the middle of the ocean, the debate in the scientific community still cannot reach a consensus.
In addition, Australian scientists’ current research on this impact theory is based on crustal samples extracted in Australia. Whether this research method can be applied to samples from other land plates in the future will depend on scientific research data.
