摘要：Abstract Geological observations indicate that there are only a few rocks of Archean Earth and no Hadean rocks on the surface of the present-day Earth. From these facts, many scientists believe that the primordial continents never existed during Hadean Earth, and the continental volume has kept increasing. On the other hand, recent studies reported the importance of the primordial continents on the origin of life, implying their existence. In this paper, we discussed the possible process that could explain the loss of the primordial continents with the assumption that they existed in the Hadean. Although depending on the timing of the initiation of plate tectonics and its convection style, subduction erosion, which is observed on the present-day Earth, might have carried the primordial continents into the deep mantle. Graphical abstract Display Omitted Highlights • We calculated the rheological structure of oceanic plate in Archean. • The plate strength in Archean was much smaller than that of present-day Earth. • More subduction zones had existed in Hadean and Archean. • The primordial continents were carried into deep mantle by tectonic erosion.
