A cool early Earth

Research Article| April 01, 2002 A cool early Earth John W. Valley; John W. Valley 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar William H. Peck; William H. Peck 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Elizabeth M. King; Elizabeth M. King 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Simon A. Wilde Simon A. Wilde 2School of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information John W. Valley 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA William H. Peck 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Elizabeth M. King 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Simon A. Wilde 2School of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Australia Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 31 Jul 2001 Revision Received: 12 Dec 2001 Accepted: 19 Dec 2001 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2002) 30 (4): 351–354. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)0302.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 31 Jul 2001 Revision Received: 12 Dec 2001 Accepted: 19 Dec 2001 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation John W. Valley, William H. Peck, Elizabeth M. King, Simon A. Wilde; A cool early Earth. Geology 2002;; 30 (4): 351–354. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)0302.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract No known rocks have survived from the first 500 m.y. of Earth history, but studies of single zircons suggest that some continental crust formed as early as 4.4 Ga, 160 m.y. after accretion of the Earth, and that surface temperatures were low enough for liquid water. Surface temperatures are inferred from high δ18O values of zircons. The range of δ18O values is constant throughout the Archean (4.4–2.6 Ga), suggesting uniformity of processes and conditions. The hypothesis of a cool early Earth suggests long intervals of relatively temperate surface conditions from 4.4 to 4.0 Ga that were conducive to liquid- water oceans and possibly life. Meteorite impacts during this period may have been less frequent than previously thought. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.