3.1-billion-year-old pillow basalts in Australia's Pilbara Craton reveal ancient water cycle evidence
By
Eric Vandenburg
Summary
A first-person account of visiting the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia, where 3.1 billion-year-old pillow basalts reveal evidence of Earth's ancient water cycle. The article explores how these ancient rocks, formed when Earth was young, provide clues about the role water played in shaping our planet long before modern plate tectonics began carrying water into Earth's depths. The harsh, dry landscape of the Pilbara today belies its watery past, preserved in the geological record of these remarkably unchanged volcanic formations.
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bsky3.1-billion-year-old pillow basalts in Australia's Pilbara Craton reveal ancient water cycle evidencetheconversation.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledIn the 45°C heat of the midday April sun, I swing my sledgehammer into the terracotta-varnished lobes of pillow basalt overlooking a sparse, almost Martian landscape.
It's hard to fathom that this lava cooled when Earth was young, and has barely changed since.
Western Australia's Pilbara Craton is probably the last place you'd expect to learn anything about the role water played in shaping our planet.
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