Continents form the most accessible parts of Earth, but their complex compositions make their origin difficult to investigate. A novel approach based on a comprehensive compilation of samarium-neodymium isotopic compositions of detrital sedimentary rocks is here used to unravel continental growth through time. This record reveals that continents were as felsic as today in the past 3.7 Ga (billion years) and that their growth was not continuous but episodic. Reworking of preexisting crust was a ubiquitous process during most of Earth history, but at least six periods of continental growth can be identified every 500 to 700 Ma (million years) in the past 3.7 Ga. This recurrence could be accounted for by changes in tectonic plate velocities favoring periods of rapid subduction and enhanced production of juvenile felsic crust.

中文翻译：

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过去 3.7 Ga 长英质大陆的偶发性增长

大陆是地球上最容易接近的部分，但它们复杂的成分使得它们的起源难以调查。一种基于碎屑沉积岩钐-钕同位素组成的综合汇编的新方法被用于揭示大陆随时间的生长。这一记录表明，在过去的 3.7 Ga（十亿年）中，大陆与今天一样长质，并且它们的增长不是连续的，而是偶发的。在地球历史的大部分时间里，已有地壳的再加工是一个普遍存在的过程，但在过去的 3.7 Ga 中，每 500 到 700 Ma（百万年）至少可以确定六个大陆生长时期。这种复发可以通过构造变化来解释板块速度有利于快速俯冲和增加幼年长英质地壳的产量。