Geologists challenge conventional view of Earth's continental history, stability with new study
Monday, June 12, 2023 - 11:52
in Earth & Climate
The seemingly stable regions of the Earth's continental plates—the so-called stable cratons—have suffered repetitive deformation below their crust since their formation in the remote past, according to new research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This hypothesis defies decades of conventional plate tectonics theory and tries to answer why most cratons have remained structurally stable while their underbellies have experienced significant change.