Precambrian Earth Evolution

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The proposed research program will investigate the origin and evolution of Earth's crust/mantle system, primarily during the Precambrian. There are many uncertainties about Precambrian Earth evolution and the planned research will contribute to a better understanding of long-standing questions about the nature of Earth's earliest crust, when and how oceans and life originated, whether modern-style plate tectonics operated throughout Earth history, how continents and continental roots form, and the impact of short-lived and voluminous episodes of global mafic magmatism on Earth evolution. The planned research will revolutionize our understanding of how continents and the subcontinental lithospheric mantle formed, document unusual catastrophic volcanic events that dramatically shaped the Precambrian Earth, and provide insight into the origin of some Canadian natural resources (e.g., nickel, copper, platinum group elements).