Earth's Shape Secret: How Ancient Collisions Molded Continents

Unveiling Earth's Formation

The Ancient Collision The plate tectonics that determined the shape of our continents may have originated from a huge impact billions of years ago.

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Formation of LLVPs This collision may have created huge "blobs" of material near Earth's core, known as Large Low-Velocity Provinces (LLVPs).

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Tectonic Plates and Boundaries Plate tectonics theory explains the motion of Earth's outer layer, divided into plates, and their boundaries.

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Movement and Forces Tectonic plates move due to forces like convection currents in the mantle, driven by heat from Earth's core.

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LLVPs' Impact LLVPs may have shaped plate movement, leading to subduction and the formation of tectonic boundaries.

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Subduction Initiation Around 200 million years after the collision, pressure from LLVPs created hot plumes, initiating subduction.

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The collision billions of years ago and the formation of LLVPs may have kick-started Earth's modern plate tectonics, shaping our continents as we know them today.

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