Synonyms
Definition
The earliest eon of geological time, extending from accretion of the Earth (4.567 Ga) to the formation of the earliest known rocks. The oldest rocks currently identified are components of the Acasta gneisses in the Northwest Territories of Canada (4.03 Ga). This date was determined as marking the lower limit of the Hadean by the Precambrian Subcommission on Stratigraphy in 2012. The ages have been rounded to ~4600 Ma and 4000 Ma for the commencement and termination of the Hadean, respectively, as shown on the International Chronostratigraphic Chart.
Overview
The term Hadean was coined in 1972 by Preston Cloud to designate that period of geological time prior to formation of the earliest known rocks. It was derived from Greek mythology where “ᾍδης = Hades” first referred to the God of the Underworld and later to the Underworld itself. In geological usage, it is commonly equated with “Hell,” based on the perception that the Earth was extremely...
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References and Further Reading
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International Commission on Stratigraphy.: http://www.stratigraphy.org/index.php/ics-chart-timescale
Valley JW, Peck WH, King EM, Wilde SA (2002) A cool early earth. Geology 30:351–354
Valley JW, Cavosie AJ, Ushikubo T, Reihard DD, Lawrence DF, Larson DJ, Clifton PH, Kelley TF, Wilde SA, Moser DE, Spicuzza MJ (2014) Hadean age for post-magma-ocean zircon confirmed by atom-probe tomography. Nat Geosci 7:219–223
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Wilde SA, Valley JW, Peck WH, Graham CM (2001) Evidence from detrital zircons for the existence of continental crust and oceans on the Earth 4.4 Ga ago. Nature 409:175–178
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Wilde, S. (2022). Hadean. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_688-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_688-8
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