The Relationship Between Plate Tectonics and the Origin of Life on Earth.
Researchers at the University of Rochester used zircon crystals to study plate tectonic activity in early Earth. The chemical evidence suggests that plate tectonics was most likely occurring more than 4.2 billion years ago when life is thought to have first formed on our planet. The study provides insights into the geodynamics and lithological diversity of early Earth, which could lead to revelations of how life first began on our planet.