Speculations on the Thermal and Tectonic History of the Earth

Abstract

The connection between the Earth's thermal history and convection in the mantle is exploited to elucidate the early evolution of the Earth. It appears probable that convection extending over almost all of the mantle has dominated vertical heat transport throughout the whole of the Earth's history. Only in boundary layers at the surface and at a depth of 650-700 km is conduction likely to be important. The resulting evolution appears to be consistent with geological observations on early Precambrian rocks.