Archean tectonics

Archean tectonics refer to the processes shaping Earth's early crust between about 4.0 and 2.5 billion years ago. During this time, the planet's lithosphere was thinner and more dynamic, with vigorous volcanic activity and early forms of plate movement. Unlike today's well-understood plate tectonics, Archean tectonics involved smaller, unstable crustal fragments that occasionally collided, merged, or sank back into the mantle. These processes led to the formation of some of Earth's earliest continental crust and laid the foundation for the complex tectonic systems we observe today.