How the early Earth evolved from a hellish to a habitable world

Yoshinori Miyazaki; Jun Korenaga

doi:10.25250/thescbr.brk705

Authors

Yoshinori Miyazaki California Institute of Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8325-8549
Jun Korenaga Yale University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25250/thescbr.brk705

Keywords:

early Earth, habitability, magma ocean, Hadean

Abstract

Earth began with an atmosphere similar to that of Venus. While Venus continues to have a hellish surface, Earth turned into a habitable world within just 100-200 million years. How was that possible? We proposed a scenario using theoretical modeling, where a peculiar type of rock that is currently extinct on Earth could have triggered such a radical change.

Author Biographies

Yoshinori Miyazaki, California Institute of Technology

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Jun Korenaga, Yale University

Professor

Original article reference

Miyazaki, Y., & Korenaga, J. (2022). A wet heterogeneous mantle creates a habitable world in the Hadean. Nature, 603(7899), 86–90. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04371-9