Abstract
Geotectonics during the earth—s history is governed by the temperature of the upper mantle. This temperature determines melting and segregation of the basaltic component from solid undepleted peridotite. Temperature also determines the basalt-eclogite transition. Assuming that Archaean mantle temperature was above the peridotite sosidus at some time, the basalt fraction of the peridotitic upper mantle, due to its low density, had to accumulate in the shallow mantle. This situation governs Archaean geology and can explain the existence of both the greenstone belts and the high-grade terrains of that era. Plate tectonic style differed from the present one because of more buoyant oceanic lithosphere. This had a dominant influence on Proterozoic magmatism and tectonics.
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Vlaar, N.J. (1985). Precambrian Geodynamical Constraints. In: Tobi, A.C., Touret, J.L.R. (eds) The Deep Proterozoic Crust in the North Atlantic Provinces. NATO ASI Series, vol 158. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5450-2_2
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