Supracrustal origin of Earth’s earliest continents

Supracrustal origin of Earth’s earliest continents | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Supracrustal origin of Earth’s earliest continents Kun Shang, Guochun Zhao, Zaicong Wang, Ruihong Chang, Yanan Shen, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8052631/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 11 May, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The genesis of Archean continental crust through partial melting of hydrous mafic protolith is widely acknowledged, yet the origin of the mafic protolith remains highly contentious. One view favors supracrustal basalts delivered to melting depth by crustal recycling, whereas others posit unaltered, mantle-derived gabbro emplaced by mantle plume to the lower crust level. Silicon isotopes and quadruple sulfur isotopes serve as particularly powerful tools in this regard, as they directly trace the source nature of the felsic continent. Here, we integrate whole-rock silicon and sulfur isotopic data of Neoarchean granitoids from the North China Craton to constrain the origin and pathway of their protoliths. These granitoids exhibit non-chondritic Δ³³S (− 0.06‰) and elevated δ³⁰Si (− 0.09‰ to − 0.05‰), requiring a supracrustal source and contrasting with the previously reported mantle-like zircon δ 18 O. Global compilation shows that granitoids formed after 3800 Ma uniformly contains enriched δ³⁰Si and non-zero Δ³³S, implying that most, if not all Archean continental crusts were derived from partial melting of supracrustal sources rather than unaltered mafic cumulates. Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geology/Precambrian geology Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Geochemistry Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Table.xlsx Table S1-S3 supplementary.docx Supplementary information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 11 May, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8052631","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":549417104,"identity":"e97bf3b7-0a28-4461-9c8a-3fe8ee2977bc","order_by":0,"name":"Kun 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