Scientists believe they’ve discovered a window into the dawn of time on Earth, hidden beneath the Pacific Ocean. A team led by geophysicist Simon Lamb and scientist Cornel de Ronde revealed the key to our past in a remote corner of South Africa and deep underwater off the coast of New Zealand. These sites offer unexpected clues about the origins of our planet and possibly life itself.
According to the researchers, the Barberton Greenstone Belt in South Africa and rock formations in New Zealand provided crucial insights. The ancient deep seafloor in South Africa, created 3.3 billion years ago, puzzled scientists until the study of rocks in New Zealand clarified the mystery. The experts suggest that early Earth experienced large earthquakes, contrary to previous beliefs of a fiery, unmoving surface.
The scientists also linked subduction zones to explosive volcanic activity, like the recent eruption in Tonga, hinting at the Earth’s tumultuous past and its potential role in the emergence of life.
Vocabulary Insights:
– Window (Noun): An opening in a wall or door that allows light or air to pass through.
– Key (Noun): A piece of metal that unlocks a lock or starts an engine.
– Clues (Noun): Signs or pieces of evidence that help solve a problem or mystery.
– Mystery (Noun): Something that is difficult to understand, explain, or identify.
– Emergence (Noun): The process of coming into view or becoming exposed after being hidden.
Vocabulary List:
- Dawn (noun): The earliest periodthe first light of day.
- Geophysicist (noun): A scientist who studies the physics and processes of the Earth.
- Remote (adjective): Far away distant.
- Origins (noun): The point or place where something beginsarisesor is derived.
- Crucial (adjective): Extremely important vital.
- Seafloor (noun): The bottom of the sea or ocean.
