Plate tectonics began 2.5 billion years ago

A new study of chemical fingerprints preserved in feldspar and sulfide minerals across more than 1,200 ancient rock samples finds an abrupt disappearance of an ~4-billion-year-old crustal signature around 2.5 billion years ago. The authors interpret that abrupt change as evidence that Earth reorganized how continental crust formed — consistent with a global onset (or major reconfiguration) of plate tectonics at that time. — Dating the start of plate tectonics reframes discussions of Earth's long‑term habitability, the rise of complex life, and how we compare Earth to other rocky planets, with downstream effects on geoscience narratives and science education.