A partial cumulate origin of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle?

The project will investigate the origin of enigmatic olivine-rich rocks (peridotites), which occur as km-scale inclusions within 3600 to 3000 million-year-old continental crust in Greenland. A detailed geochemical study will provide new constraints on the formation of the first continents, as well as on the initiation of plate tectonic processes which is unique to planet Earth. This grant will cover the cost of a PhD student and a postdoc, in addition to new equipment and fieldwork in Greenland.