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An Extended Barrage of Asteroid Impacts Made Earth Too Hot to Form Continents

This artist's illustration shows Earth being bombarded by asteroids during the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB). The LHB was caused by the migration of the Solar System's giant planets, which unlodged asteroids from their stable position and sent many careening into the inner planets. New research says the heat from the continual impacts slowed the formation of thick continental crust, explaining why we have almost no rock samples from the Hadean eon. Image Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

New research shows that repeated impacts on Earth during the Hadean eon prevented thick and stable crustal material from forming. The heat from these impacts penetrated deep into the planet, and along with radiogenic heating, delayed the formation of a solid crust.



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