The missing 500 million: Cosmic bombardment melted Earth's first crust

Scientists reported that Earth's earliest crust may have been destroyed by meteorite impacts during the Hadean eon, the period beginning 4.6 billion years ago. Research indicates that bombardment from space objects generated sufficient heat to melt surface rock alongside internal heat from radioactive decay. A study published in a peer-reviewed journal examined isotopic signatures in ancient rocks to reconstruct conditions during Earth's first few hundred million years. The findings suggest that rather than a single continuous crust formation, Earth's surface underwent repeated melting cycles from external impacts and internal thermal processes.

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