近日，美国威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校John W. Valley团队报道了冥古宙地球上同时期的活动盖和静止盖构造。2026年2月4日出版的《自然》杂志发表了这项成果。

地球历史的最初十亿年见证了大陆岩浆活动、海洋与生命的诞生。然而，由于缺乏保存完好的岩石记录，大陆形成的具体过程仍属未知。当前存在两种对立的冥古宙模型：一种认为俯冲和板块构造活动较早开始，另一种则主张早期以停滞盖层和地幔柱作用为主，板块构造活动延迟（冥古宙之后）出现。

研究组报道了西澳大利亚杰克山地区冥古宙碎屑锆石的微量元素比值（包括Nb–Sc–U–Yb）与年龄、铪同位素及氧同位素比值的相关性研究，这些数据为了解早期岩浆活动的时间和构造背景提供了前所未有的认识。超过70%的杰克山冥古宙碎屑锆石具有Sc/Yb > 0.1的特征，47%的锆石U/Nb > 20，这些都是大陆弧和俯冲构造背景的典型标志。

其余锆石则呈现洋岛型特征，极少显示洋中脊环境迹象。杰克山冥古宙锆石可能源自具有独立构造历史的不同地体。根据杰克山锆石记录，冥古宙时期的俯冲相关岩浆活动与岩浆静寂期交替出现。这与巴伯顿地区多数冥古宙锆石主要显示的停滞盖层型特征形成鲜明对比。杰克山与巴伯顿碎屑锆石所反映的多样化构造环境表明，冥古宙时期不同构造体制可能同时运行，且早期地壳起源的多样性远超以往认知。

附：英文原文

Title: Contemporaneous mobile- and stagnant-lid tectonics on the Hadean Earth

Author: Valley, John W., Blum, Tyler B., Kitajima, Kouki, Shimizu, Kei, Spicuzza, Michael J., Gonzalez, Joseph P., Kita, Noriko T., Bauer, Ann M., Sobolev, Stephan V., Jain, Charitra, Cavosie, Aaron J., Sobolev, Alexander V.

Issue&Volume: 2026-02-04

Abstract: The first billion years of Earth history witnessed the emergence of continental magmatism, oceans and life. Yet, the details of how continents formed remain unknown because of the absence of preserved rocks1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Two conflicting Hadean models predominate: early onset of subduction and plate tectonics2,3,4, compared with early stagnant-lid and plume processes with delayed (post-Hadean) plate tectonics5,6,7. Here we report trace-element ratios (including Nb–Sc–U–Yb) correlated with age and hafnium and oxygen isotope ratios for Hadean detrital zircons from the Jack Hills (JH), Western Australia, which record unprecedented insights into the timing and setting of early magmatism. More than 70% of Hadean JH detrital zircons have Sc/Yb>0.1, and 47% have U/Nb>20, fingerprints for continental-arc and subduction settings. The remainder are ocean-island-like with little evidence for ocean-ridge settings. Hadean JH zircons probably originated from distinct terranes with separate tectonic histories. Subduction-related magmatism in the Hadean, as documented by JH zircons, alternated with periods of magmatic quiescence. This contrasts with dominantly stagnant-lid-like signatures for most Barberton Hadean zircons. The diverse settings for Jack Hills and Barberton detrital zircons imply contemporaneous operation of different tectonic styles during the Hadean, as well as a broader diversity of early crustal origins than previously known.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-10066-2

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10066-2