Lithosphere-Mantle Interactions and Weakening Processes in Early Earth: Implications on the onset of Plate Tectonics

The initiation of plate tectonics marks a pivotal moment in Earth's geological history, shaping its surface dynamics and influencing its habitability. Despite its significance, the mechanisms that triggered the onset of plate tectonics during the early Earth remain a subject of active debate, with several mechanisms that may have existed prior to Plate tectonics (PT), and might have gradually evolved into or abruptly triggered PT., e.g. crustal resurfacing, crustal overturn, sagduction, plume induced subduction, formation of reworked crust, damage induced plate boundary formation and plutonic squishy lid regime. In this study, we investigate how localized lithospheric weakening, potentially driven by mantle plumes and/or melt, could have contributed to the emergence of plate tectonics. Using 2D numerical simulations developed with the ASPECT geodynamic code, we explore the conditions under which these mechanisms may operate. To investigate these processes, a parameter sensitivity study that explores the effects of mantle and crustal rheological properties and ambient mantle temperature have been carried out. We will present the preliminary results of this work which provides new insights into the complex interplay of lithosphere and mantle processes that could have driven the emergence of plate tectonics, offering a framework for reconciling diverse hypotheses.