Primordial continental crust re‑created in lab
Under pressure, right mix of rocks and water mimics origins of landmasses
CONTINENTAL CONCEPTION Squeezing oceanic rocks and water under high heat formed minerals (shown in this thin section) that closely resemble those that made up Earth’s original continents. The first continental crust may have originated from oceanic crust forced underground, researchers propose.
A.R. Hastie
New experiments have re-created the genesis of Earth’s first continents.