@article{fdi:010077456,
  title = {{S}ecular cooling and crystallization of partially molten {A}rchaean continental crust over 1 {G}a},
  author = {{V}anderhaeghe, {O}. and {G}uergouz, {C}. and {F}abre, {C}. and {D}uch{\^e}ne, {S}. and {B}aratoux, {D}avid},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}he protracted tectonic and magmatic record of cratons over the {A}rchaean {E}on has been classically interpreted in terms of long-lived shallow-dipping subduction or repeated mantle plumes. {I}n this paper, we use the 1{D} conductive heat equation to model the evolution of the geotherm of a generic felsic-dominated {A}rchaean cratonic nuclei solely considering the secular decay of radioactive isotopes ({U}-238, {U}-235, {T}h-232, and {K}-40), responsible for heat production in the crust. {U}sing a range of plausible parameters for crustal thickness, lithospheric thickness, and surface heat flux, this modelling shows that {A}rchaean crust was characterized by an initially high geothermal gradient at 3.5 {G}a, with a {M}oho temperature close to 900 degrees {C}, and that it might have remained partially molten for about one billion years. {T}he existence of a partially molten crust for an extended period of time offers an alternative option to shallow-dipping subduction or repeated mantle plumes for the understanding of the peculiar tectonic evolution of {A}rchaean cratons marked by (i) protracted high-temperature metamorphism and magmatism associated with crustal differentiation, and (ii) widespread deformation characterized by structural domes attributed to the development of crustal-scale gravitational instabilities.},
  keywords = {{C}ontinental crust ; {A}rchaean geotherm ; {E}arth secular cooling ; {P}artial melting ; {M}agmatism ; {A}rchaean tectonics},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{C}omptes {R}endus {G}eoscience},
  volume = {351},
  numero = {8},
  pages = {562--573},
  ISSN = {1631-0713},
  year = {2019},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.crte.2019.07.002},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010077456},
}