But more suspect that plate tectonics emerged earlier, in the Archean eon, which ran from 4 billion to 2.5 billion years ago. The evidence is based largely on chemical analyses of rocks.

Geology. The presence of oceans, continents and plate tectonics on Earth is most likely the reason there is no evidence for advanced extraterrestrial civilizations, according to new research by ...

The modern understanding of the plate tectonic cycle predicts that remnants of submerged plates will be found near subduction zones. However, a new high-resolution model shows that these remnants ...