Archean cratons, characterized by extensive granite–greenstone assemblages, represent the oldest preserved nuclei of Earth’s continental lithosphere. These ancient terrains are surrounded and overlain by coeval or younger sedimentary successions that provide critical insights related to the evolution of continental crust, seawater chemistry, early oxygenation events, and the primary biosignatures. Craton formation and evolution into a stable continent set the conditions for early life to thrive on this planet. Emergence of Archean cratons above the sea level formed shallow marine environments, which potentially harboured early life, and exposed silicate-rich rocks to surface weathering. It significantly modulated atmospheric CO₂ levels and helped regulate climate, a fundamental process to sustain long-term habitability. While many cratons survived since Archean, some of them are modified or even destroyed in the recent past. Their destruction might have disrupted lithospheric volatile reservoirs, releasing them into the atmosphere. Insights into these processes can improve present-day Earth system models, particularly those exploring carbon cycling and climate stability. However, our understanding remains fragmentary due to the scarcity of global datasets owing to limited preservation of Archean rocks. The latter is largely affected by resetting by later geological events such as metamorphism and/or tectonic overprinting.
To understand the earliest evolution of our planet, integrated and multidisciplinary approaches are essential. Isotope and elemental geochemistry, high-precision geochronology, petrology combined with geodynamic modelling will provide unique insights into the processes that shaped Earth’s earliest reservoirs. We welcome contributions from related disciplines that apply both established and innovative interdisciplinary approach towards addressing fundamental questions about pressing topics such as the differentiation and secular evolution of Earth’s crust and mantle, early reworking of the crust, transitionary stages of the ancient oceans and the nature of early tectonic regimes. These holistic studies will shed light on Earth's early formation, evolution, and transformation, revealing how initial habitable conditions were established and offering insights into ancient, possibly eroded, reservoirs.