Exploration of the Earliest Crust Forming Events on Earth

这项拟议的工作使用新的仪器技术来测量短寿命和自然灭绝的放射性同位素钐（Sm）和铪（Hf）的子体放射性核素，以了解地球的形成？早期大陆地壳。这项工作将检查包含在38 - 40亿年前的主岩石和锆石矿物中的44亿年前的成分，这些主岩石和锆石矿物是加拿大北方奴隶地区的安斯塔片麻岩杂岩，这是地球上已知最古老的岩石。了解早期地球的形成对地球科学的广度有着广泛的影响，从推断生命的起源到了解经济矿藏的形成，特别是那些只起源于较老的地壳或地幔（如加拿大北方的钻石矿床）。地球的分异何时导致大陆地壳的形成是理解行星演化最高阶的一个基本问题。这项工作将主要由一个有前途的，职业生涯早期的博士后在两个PI？在一个以分析创新和卓越以及培养年轻地球化学家而闻名的机构，这些年轻地球化学家通常会从事高生产力的职业。

This proposed work uses new instrumental techniques to measure daughter radionuclides of short-lived and naturally extinct radioactive isotopes of Samarium (Sm) and Hafnium (Hf) to understand formation of the Earth?s early continental crust. The work will examine 4.4 billion-year-old components contained within 3.8-4 billion-year-old host rocks and zircon minerals of the Acasta Gneiss Complex in the Slave Craton of northern Canada, the oldest known body of rock on Earth. Understanding of the formation of the early Earth has broad implications for the breadth of Earth Sciences, ranging from inferring the origin of life to understanding the formation of economic mineral deposits, especially those originating only in older Earth crust or mantle (such as the diamond deposits in northern Canada). When Earth differentiation led to the formation of continental crust is a fundamental problem in understanding planetary evolution of the highest order. The work would primarily be done by a promising, early-career post-doc under the mentorship of the two PI?s at an institution renowned for both analytical innovation and excellence as well as the training of young geochemists who have typically go on to highly productive careers.