Ancient asteroid barrage may explain why early Earth had no stable continents

New research led by Curtin University and QUT (Queensland University of Technology) has revealed that repeated asteroid impacts may have been the dominant force shaping early Earth, delivering vast amounts of heat into the planet's interior and delaying the formation of stable continents. The study suggests that during the Hadean—more than four billion years ago—Earth was struck far more frequently than today, with each impact injecting energy deep into the planet.