Table Of ContentEarth’s Oldest Rocks
Second Edition
Edited by
Martin J. Van Kranendonk
Vickie C. Bennett
J. Elis Hoffmann
Elsevier
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List of Contributors
Yuri Amelin, Australian National University, Canberra, Richard W. Carlson, Carnegie Institution for Science,
ACT, Australia Washington, DC, United States
Nicholas T. Arndt, University of Grenoble Alpes, Nicole Cates, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB,
Grenoble, France Canada
Gennadiy Artemenko, M.P. Semenenko Institute of Barbara Cavalazzi, Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche,
Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Ore Formation, Kyiv, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna,
Ukraine Bologna, Italy; Department of Geology, University of
Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Wenqian Bai, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
(CAGS), Beijing, China AaronJ.Cavosie,CurtinUniversity,Perth,WA,Australia
Darcy Baker, Equity Engineering Ltd., Vancouver, Thomas Chacko, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB,
Canada Canada
StephenJ.Barnes,CSIROMineralResources,Perth,WA, Godfrey Chagondah, University of Johannesburg,
Australia Johannesburg, South Africa
Ann M. Bauer, Department of Geology and Geophysics, KevinR.Chamberlain,UniversityofWyoming,Laramie,
Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States WY, United States
Robert L. Bauer, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, David C. Champion, Geoscience Australia, Canberra,
United States ACT, Australia
Raphael Baumgartner, University of New South Wales Stefan Claesson, Swedish Museum of Natural History,
Sydney, Kensington, NSW, Australia Stockholm, Sweden
Richard W. Belcher, RWB Exploration Ltd, Mottram Kent C. Condie, New Mexico Institute of Mining and
House,Stockport,Cheshire,SK38AXUnitedKingdom Technology, Socorro, NM, United States
Vickie C. Bennett, Australian National University, Brendan Cummins, Westoria Resource Investments Ltd.,
Canberra, ACT, Australia West Perth, WA, Australia
Ankit Bhandari, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Alexandra Krull Davatzes, Temple University, Philadel-
Roorkee, India phia, PA, United States
Marion E. Bickford, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, Sukanta Dey, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian
United States School of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India
Janne Blichert-Toft, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Tara Djokic, University of New South Wales Sydney,
Lyon, France Kensington, NSW, Australia
Svetlana Bogdanova, Lund university, Lund, Sweden ChunyanDong,ChineseAcademyofGeologicalSciences
(CAGS), Beijing, China
Christian O. Böhm, Manitoba Geological Survey,
Winnipeg, MB, Canada Annika Dziggel, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen,
Germany
Bernard Bourdon, ENS de Lyon, CNRS and UCBL,
Lyon, France J.ElisHoffmann,FreieUniversitätBerlin,Berlin,Germany
GaryR.Byerly,LouisianaStateUniversity,BatonRouge, Don Francis, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
LA, United States
xvii
xviii List of Contributors
Clark R.L. Friend, Glendale, United Kingdom Alexander F.M. Kisters, University of Stellenbosch,
Department of Earth Sciences, Private Bag X1, Matie-
Yashvardhan Gaur, Indian Institute of Technology
land, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
Roorkee, Roorkee, India
Asko Kontinen, Geological Survey of Finland, Kuopio,
Steven Goderis, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels,
Finland
Belgium; Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
William L. Griffin, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Alfred Kröner, Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany;
Beijing SHRIMP Center, Chinese Academy of Geo-
Australia
logical Sciences (CAGS), Bejing, China
Martin Guitreau, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon,
MonikaA.Kusiak,PolishAcademyofSciences,Twarda,
Lyon, France; Université ClermontAuvergne, Aubière,
Warsaw, Poland
France
Laura Lauri, Geological Survey of Finland, Rovaniemi,
XieHangqiang,ChineseAcademyofGeologicalSciences,
Finland
Beijing, China
Morgane Ledevin, Academy of Grenoble, Grenoble,
Simon L. Harley, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh,
France
United Kingdom
Baptiste Lemirre, Université de Toulouse, Géosciences
Russell P. Hartlaub, British Columbia Institute of
Environnement Toulouse, UPS-CNRS-IRD, 14 avenue
Technology, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
LarryM.Heaman,UniversityofAlberta,Edmonton,AB,
Evelyn Y. Levine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
Canada
Yuan Li, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
Esa Heilimo, Geological Survey of Finland, Kuopio,
(CAGS), Beijing, China
Finland
Dunyi Liu, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
Christoph Heubeck, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena,
(CAGS), Beijing, China
Jena, Germany
YongshengLiu,ChinaUniversityofGeosciences,Wuhan,
Keyron Hickman-Lewis, CNRS Centre de Biophysique
China
Moléculaire, Rue Charles Sadron, Orléans, France;
Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Shoujie Liu, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy (CAGS), Beijing, China
Axel Hofmann, University of Johannesburg, Johannes- Donald R. Lowe, Stanford University, Stanford, CA,
burg, South Africa United States
Pentti Hölttä, Geological Survey of Finland, Espoo, YongjunLu,GeologicalSurveyofWesternAustralia,East
Finland Perth, WA, Australia
Hannu Huhma, Geological Survey of Finland, Espoo, Mingzhu Ma, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
Finland (CAGS), Beijing, China
David L. Huston, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, ACT, Terrence P. Mernagh, Australian National University,
Australia Acton, ACT, Australia
George D. Kamenov, University of Florida, Gainesville, Aniruddha Mitra, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian
FL, United States School of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India
JamesF.Kasting,PennStateUniversity,UniversityPark, Stephen J. Mojzsis, University of Colorado at Boulder,
PA, United States Boulder, CO, United States; Institute for Geological
and Geochemical Research, Hungarian Academy of
Nigel M. Kelly, University of Colorado at Boulder,
Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
Boulder,CO,UnitedStates;CollaborativeforResearch
in Origins (CRiO), The John Templeton Foundation e Sudipto Mondal, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian
Ffame Origins Program, University of at Colorado, School of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India
Boulder, Unites States
Peter Morant, Anglogold Ashanti, Perth, WA, Australia
Anthony I.S. Kemp, University of Western Australia,
Jean-Francois Moyen, Université de Lyon, UJM-UCA-
Crawley, WA, Australia
CNRS-IRD, Saint Etienne, France
List of Contributors xix
Paul A. Mueller, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, Manavan Satyanaryanan, CSIR-National Geophysical
United States Research Institute, Hyderabad, India
Elodie Muller, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Mark D. Schmitz, Boise State University, Boise, ID,
Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Diderot, UMR United States
7154 CNRS, Paris, France
Graham A. Shields, University College London, London,
ThorstenJ.Nagel,UniversityofAarhus,Aarhus,Denmark United Kingdom
Jinia Nandy, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian Leonid Shumlyanskyy, M.P. Semenenko Institute of
School of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Ore Formation, Kyiv,
Ukraine
PritamNasipuri,IndianInstituteofScienceEducationand
Research Bhopal, Bhopal, India Bruce M. Simonson, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH,
United States
Marc D. Norman, Australian National University,
Canberra, ACT, Australia Alexandr Slabunov, Institute of Geology, Karelian
Research Centre, RAS, Petrozavodsk, Russia
Allen P. Nutman, University of Wollongong, Wollon-
gong, NSW, Australia Robert H. Smithies, Geological Survey of Western
Jonathan O’Neil, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada Australia, East Perth, WA, Australia
Craig O’Neill, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Catherine Spaggiari, Geological Survey of Western
Australia, East Perth, WA, Australia
Australia
Suzanne Y. O’Reilly, Macquarie University, Sydney, Luke Steller, University of New South Wales Sydney,
Kensington, NSW, Australia
NSW, Australia
Gary Stevens, University of Stellenbosch, Department of
Dominic Papineau, University College London, London,
Earth Sciences, Private Bag X1, Matieland, Stellen-
United Kingdom
bosch 7602, South Africa
JayantaK.Pati,UniversityofAllahabad,Allahabad,India
Kenichiro Sugitani, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
Pascal Philippot, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris,
SahandTadbiri,UniversityofNewSouthWalesSydney,
Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Diderot, UMR
Kensington, NSW, Australia
7154 CNRS, Paris, France; Géosciences Montpellier,
Université de Montpellier, UMR 5243 CNRS, Abhishek Topno, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian
Montpellier, France School of Mines), Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India
Franco Pirajno, The University of Western Australia, John W. Valley, University of WisconsineMadison,
Crawley, WA, Australia Madison, WI, United States
Greg Poole, University of New South Wales Sydney, Martin J. Van Kranendonk, School of Biological, Earth
Kensington, NSW, Australia and Environmental Sciences, University of New South
Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Jesse R. Reimink, Carnegie Institution for Science,
Washington, DC, United States Mark A. van Zuilen, Université Paris Diderot, CNRS,
Paris, France
Claire Rollion-Bard, Institut de Physique du Globe de
Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Diderot, Yusheng Wan, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences
UMR 7154 CNRS, Paris, France (CAGS), Beijing, China
Antoine S.G.Roth,UniversityofBern,Bern,Switzerland Frances Westall, CNRS Centre de Biophysique Molécu-
laire, Rue Charles Sadron, Orléans, France
Lopamudra Saha, Indian Institute of Technology
Roorkee, Roorkee, India Simon A. Wilde, Curtin University of Technology, Perth,
WA, Australia
Scott D. Samson, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY,
United States Michael T.D. Wingate, Geological Survey of Western
Australia, East Perth, WA, Australia
Saheli Sarkar, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee,
Roorkee, India Joseph L. Wooden, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park,
CA, United States
Aaron M. Satkoski, Jackson School of Geology, Univer-
sity of Texas, Austin, Texas, United States
xx List of Contributors
Stephen Wyche, Geological Survey of Western Australia, Chao Zhang, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover,
East Perth, WA, Australia Germany
HangqiangXie,ChineseAcademyofGeologicalSciences Siqi Zhang, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW,
(CAGS), Beijing, China Australia
Shiwen Xie, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences Keqing Zong, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan,
(CAGS), Beijing, China China
Preface
Thesciencecoveredinthisbookowesitsexistencetothepioneeringworkofmanyearlygeologistsandgeochemistswho
traveled to remote places of the Earthdoften into literally uncharted territorydto pursue their passion and interest in
ancient rocks.
Wewanttodedicatethisvolumetothepioneersthathaveinfluencedourlivesandcareersandalsowhowefelthave
left the greatest legacy in terms of fostering excitement about, and understanding of, early Earth. To this end, wedthe
editorsdhave written our stories as examples of how to get involved in early Earth studies and the rewards of doing
so. In addition, we have invited two of our closest early Earth colleagues to also tell some of their stories about the
people who have influenced them and made major contributions to the study of our young planet, Alfred Kröner and
Allen Nutman.
MARTIN J. VAN KRANENDONK: FROM CANADA TO THE PILBARA AND BEYOND
Forme,itwastheadventure,combinedwiththebeautyofremoteplacesandthewonderoftheunknownthatdrewmeinto
thestudy ofearly Earth. As anundergrad, Iwas fortunate enough tohavelectures onthePrecambrian by AlanGoodwin
(now deceased), who always finished his lectures with a stunning scenery shot of some far-off place that had old rocks:
India,Australia,northernCanada.Tome,hisloveofthefieldbroughttomydevelopingmindahumanaspecttogeology
that I previously not known existeddone could love what one did, as well as study! It was for his course on “The
Precambrian”thatIfirstbecameawareof,andfellinlovewith,thePilbararegionofnorthwesternAustralia.Iwroteabig
essay on the geology of the Pilbara Craton, reviewing Arthur Hickman’s seminal Bulletin and other papers, coming to
know the names of places and wanting to camp in a swag on the Shaw River under the southern night sky. I am lucky
enough to have worked there now for nearly 25years and still get out and camp on the banks of the Shaw River nearly
every year.
AlanGoodwinPhotocreditK.Gorra,UniversityofToronto.
FormyPhD,Iwasfortunateenoughtohitcharideonatwo-strokeenginefishingboatforan8-hjourneyuptheLabrador
coast from the remote (fly- or ferry-in only) Inuit village of Nain to Hebron Fiord to start what was the first of three
xxi
xxii Preface
incredible summers of mapping ancient rocks by zodiac (dodging icebergs) by helicopter (dodging fierce winds) and on
foot (dodging polar bears). Unfortunately, for my introduction to the Labrador coast, I had taken a seasickness pill that
completelywipedmeoutfornearlytheentire8-hvoyage,butIdorememberhazyoutlinesofsoaringcliffs,thesquawkof
someno-doubtrareandexoticseabirdthatIwouldhavediedtotickoffonmylifelist,andthethump-thump-thumpofthe
engine that have stayed with me my whole life.
Thereisanindescribablywonderfulfeelingofalonenessdbutatthesametimecompletenessdbeinginwilderness,
whenthedroneoftheairplanes’enginesdisappearsoverthehorizonandallyouhearisthedrip,drip,dripofamelting
iceberg washed up on the shore where your seemingly meager store of supplies awaits some sort of ordering and you
hopethebatteriesforyourradiodyouronlycontactwithcivilizationdhaven’tdiedenroute.Beinginwildernessforces
you to be self-reliant and it gives you the precious gift of confidence, as you solve problems AeZ and overcome
daily dramas that can have serious outcomes. Indeed, some of my favorite memories come from my time in Labrador,
when I was young and stupid. And nearly all of them could have ended up rather badly. Getting cliffed out, twice, but
surviving. Getting dropped off by zodiac on a small island without the ever-present rifle (“it’ll only be for a few
minutes”) and then seeing one of the white boulders on the beach get up and start to amble toward me. “Come
baaaaaack!!!!!”Iyelledtothedepartingzodiac,notwantingtofaceUrsusPolariswithmybare(excusethepun)hands;
butofcoursethe engine drownedoutanynoise Imade. Orthetime whenourzodiacboatwithallitssafety equipment
(includingradio,rifles,food,etc.)gotwashedoffabeachwehadtieditlooselyupon(“we’llonlybeafewminutes”)by
a freak wave late one afternoon and left us stranded on an island overnight in the freezing rain, with polar bears all
around, and no one to come and get us. Or the time the wind was so strong it physically knocked me and my two
traversingpartnersoffourfeet.Orthenightitsnowedandastormknockeddownourradioantennathatapassingarctic
fox decided to gnaw through.
TheauthorbythebanksoftheShawRiver(inthedistance),Pilbara2017.PhotographbyTaraDjokic.
Preface xxiii
Obviously, we survived those adventures. And somehow, thedangers (or thestupidity) made melove theplace (What is
that?). But what made the adventures so special and the dangers worth it alldand what made me cherish the place even
moredwastheopportunitythat,everyday,weweremakingnewobservations,newdiscoveries,aboutourplanetandhow
it worked so very long ago; long on even a Universal scale. For the Labrador rocks were 3.6billionyears old and had
formed,andbeendeformed,deepinthecrust.Mappingandalltheassociatedlaterinvestigationsekedoutsecretsofhow
thatcrustwasformed,underwhatplanetaryconditions.IlearnedhowtomapthereandIfellinlovewithexploration,with
geology,with beingoutdoorsinremote beautifulareas, withfacingandovercoming challenges onmyown,andwiththe
“doing” of science.
CaribouintheTorngatMountains,Labrador.PhotographbyMartinVanKranendonk.
But of course, someone had been to Labrador before me and found out that it was old and worth knowing more about.
Forme,itwasatalkbyKenCollerson,givenattheUniversityofTorontowhenIwasagraduatestudent,thatdrewme
to Labrador. His gift for telling a scientific story, in robust four dimensions, using a combination of gorgeous scenery
shots and leading-edge science, was the hook that dragged me into the community of early Earthers. In Labrador, Ken
and other early pioneers worked under much harsher conditions, were much more restricted in terms of how far they
could explore inland, and did not have the tools we did to find out as many details about the history of the area. But
they shared our wonder and excitement at exploration and discovery and passed that ondthrough talks, publications,
photo exhibitsdso that the next generation became involved and carried science and the knowledge of our planet
forward.
Two inventions allowed the science of early Earth to improve out of sight in the 80s. This was the geochronological
revolution in dating of zircons that was led by two researchers on opposite sides of the world: Tom Krogh at the Royal
Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada, and Prof. Bill Compston, trying to build a better ion microprobe at the Research
