Kent Condie coauthored work using ancient volcanic rocks to constrain the Earth's thermal history. Dated compositions were interpreted through melting models and compared with the evolution expected from internal heating and surface heat loss.[ref]
Thermal history of the Earth and its petrological expression by Claude Herzberg and others. Abstract: ancient non-arc basalts and thermal-history interpretation
The approach depends on identifying suitable source rocks and allowing for modification between initial melting and preservation.
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