A new interpretation of petrogenesis of Earth's early continental crust

The Earth's continental crust was mainly formed in the Archean period, ~2.5 to 4.0 billion years ago, and is chiefly composed of tonalite, trondhjemite and granodiorite (TTG rocks). These three kinds of rock preserve pivotal information of the formation and evolution of early continental crust. Study on the petrogenesis of TTG rocks can elucidate the tectonic regimes of the early Earth. A recent study using a quantitative phase modeling approach to document the partial melting process of tonalit