Earth could have supported continental crust, life earlier than thought

June 9, 2018 Jeff Ostrowick

ScienceDailyreports that the early Earth might have been habitable much earlier than thought, according to new research from a group led by University of Chicago scientists.Counting strontium atoms in rocks from northern Canada, they found evidence that the Earth’s > continental crust could have formed hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought. Continental crust is richer in essential minerals than younger volcanic rock, which would have made it significantly friendlier to supporting life.