Differences in tungsten isotopes show Earth surface formed unevenly
Friday, February 17, 2012 - 09:30
in Earth & Climate
(PhysOrg.com) -- Many versions of early Earth history offer visions of a hot melting mix of materials which would have resulted, after cooling, in a smooth blend of ingredients, much a like a cake after beating and baking. New research from a trio of Geologists from the University of Maryland, suggests that such an image doesnt correspond with evidence theyve discovered in looking at tungsten isotopes in ancient lava rocks found in Russia. They note, as they point out in their paper published in Science, that differences in the amount of a certain type of tungsten isotope in that region differ from others in other parts of the world indicating that some parts of the Earths surface have been there longer than others.