摘要：The idea that plate tectonics may not have operated deep in
Earth’s Precambrian past has a long legacy. What predated plate
tectonics is unknown, and advances in data e from geochemical,
geological and tectonic, to paleomagnetic, as well as modelling ap?proaches, and planetary science, have the potential to contribute
significantly to the debate. To contrast with the activity of plate tec?tonics, in this issue we use the term ‘lid tectonics’ to encapsulate a
variety of envisaged regimes e from stagnant, sluggish, plutonic?squishy, or heat pipe e which are characterized by comparatively
subdued tectonic signatures.
This special issue of Geoscience Frontiers aims to present a snap?shot of current research in the field of lid-tectonics e from detailed
field interpretations, to global conceptual models, data compila?tions, and insights from simulations, and provide unique insights
into both the Precambrian Earth, and the dynamics of lid-tectonics.
