Unravelling the Early History of the Earth

A public lecture by Professor Jeffrey Vervoort, Director of the Radiogenic Isotope and Geochronology Laboratory (RIGL), Washington State University and 2024 UWA Gledden Visiting Fellow.

Earth scientists have long been interested in the nature of Earth’s earliest continents. There are several fundamental and outstanding questions concerning the formation and evolution of planet Earth: How and when did Earth’s earliest continental crust form? What was the composition of this crust and was there a change in its composition through time? What was the volume of this early-formed crust—was it once extensive and subsequently destroyed or did it not exist in any volume until later in Earth’s history?

Professor Vervoort is a leading expert in radiogenic isotope geochemistry and geochronology and has been among the pioneers in applying these tools to understanding the early Earth. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America and has held 25 research and equipment grants from the US National Science Foundation.