About the Cover
ABOUT THE COVER: Artist's view of the cool early Earth as it may have appeared at 4.2 Ga. Meteorite impacts were still relatively common on Earth and Moon. The Moon was in closer orbit, and its dark maria had not yet appeared. On Earth, volcanism and other magmatic processes were starting to form granitic rocks and proto-continental crust. Liquid water covered much of Earth, locally altering rocks, and the stage was set for emergence of life. From Valley JW (2005) A cool early Earth? Scientific American October 2005: 40-47, IMAGE COURTESY OF DON DIXON
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Copyright © 2007 by Mineralogical Society of America
