The Hadean ( / h eɪ ˈ d iː ə n , ˈ h eɪ d i ə n / hay- DEE -ən, HAY -dee-ən ) is the first and oldest of the four known geologic eons of Earth 's history , starting with the planet's formation about 4.6 billion years ago (estimated 4567.30 ± 0.16 million years ago set by the age of the oldest solid material in the Solar System found in some meteorites about 4.567 billion years old), and ended 4.031 billion years ago. The interplanetary collision that created the Moon occurred early in this eon. The Hadean eon was succeeded by the Archean eon, with the Late Heavy Bombardment hypothesized to have occurred at the Hadean-Archean boundary.
82-552: Hadean rocks are very rare, largely consisting of granular zircons from one locality ( Jack Hills ) in Western Australia . Hadean geophysical models remain controversial among geologists : plate tectonics and the growth of cratons into continents may have started in the Hadean, but there is still uncertainty. Earth in the early Hadean had a very thick hydride -rich atmosphere whose composition likely resembled
164-634: A metamorphosed sandstone conglomerate in the Jack Hills of the Narryer Gneiss Terrane of Western Australia, date to 4.404 ± 0.008 Ga . This zircon is a slight outlier, with the oldest consistently dated zircon falling closer to 4.35 Ga—around 200 million years after the hypothesized time of Earth's formation . In many other areas, xenocryst (or relict) Hadean zircons enclosed in older rocks indicate that younger rocks have formed on older terranes and have incorporated some of
246-486: A boundary of 190 nm between hard and soft UV regions. Very hot objects emit UV radiation (see black-body radiation ). The Sun emits ultraviolet radiation at all wavelengths, including the extreme ultraviolet where it crosses into X-rays at 10 nm. Extremely hot stars (such as O- and B-type) emit proportionally more UV radiation than the Sun. Sunlight in space at the top of Earth's atmosphere (see solar constant )
328-433: A deep-bluish-purple Wood's glass optical filter that blocks almost all visible light with wavelengths longer than 400 nanometers. The purple glow given off by these tubes is not the ultraviolet itself, but visible purple light from mercury's 404 nm spectral line which escapes being filtered out by the coating. Other black lights use plain glass instead of the more expensive Wood's glass, so they appear light-blue to
410-671: A filter coating which absorbs most visible light. Halogen lamps with fused quartz envelopes are used as inexpensive UV light sources in the near UV range, from 400 to 300 nm, in some scientific instruments. Due to its black-body spectrum a filament light bulb is a very inefficient ultraviolet source, emitting only a fraction of a percent of its energy as UV. Specialized UV gas-discharge lamps containing different gases produce UV radiation at particular spectral lines for scientific purposes. Argon and deuterium arc lamps are often used as stable sources, either windowless or with various windows such as magnesium fluoride . These are often
492-434: A general picture of the state of Earth in the Hadean. Mantle convection in the Hadean was likely vigorous, due to lower viscosity . The lower viscosity was due to the high levels of radiogenic heat and the fact that water in the mantle had not yet fully outgassed. Whether the vigorous convection led to plate tectonics in the Hadean or was confined under a rigid lid is still a matter of debate. The presence of Hadean oceans
574-556: A global ocean, and temporarily raised the atmospheric temperature to 500 °C (932 °F). However, the frequency of meteorite impacts is still under study: the Earth may have gone through long periods when liquid oceans and life were possible. The liquid water would absorb the carbon dioxide in the early atmosphere; this would not be enough by itself to substantially reduce the amount of CO 2 . A 2008 study of zircons found that Australian Hadean rock contains minerals pointing to
656-551: A number of ranges recommended by the ISO standard ISO 21348: Several solid-state and vacuum devices have been explored for use in different parts of the UV spectrum. Many approaches seek to adapt visible light-sensing devices, but these can suffer from unwanted response to visible light and various instabilities. Ultraviolet can be detected by suitable photodiodes and photocathodes , which can be tailored to be sensitive to different parts of
738-411: A primary O beam with low intensity (10-15 nA). U-Pb age standard AS3 was used for dating studies. The concentration of Ti can be determined based on analysis of Jack Hills zircon and NIST610 glass. For inclusions investigation, JEOL 8600 electron microprobe analyzer (EPMA) were used to chemically analyze zircon. It is used to analyze the chemical composition of material. Electron beams are emitted to
820-476: A primitive RNA system also may have been able to undergo template strand switching during replication ( genetic recombination ) as occurs during the RNA replication of extant coronaviruses . A study published in 2024 inferred the last common ancestor of all current life to have emerged during the Hadean, between 4.09 and 4.33 Gya. Hadean zircon Hadean zircon is the oldest-surviving crustal material from
902-465: A surface temperature of 230 °C (446 °F) and an atmospheric pressure of above 27 standard atmospheres . Studies of zircons have found that liquid water may have existed between 4.0 and 4.4 billion years ago, very soon after the formation of Earth. Liquid water oceans existed despite the high surface temperature, because at an atmospheric pressure of 27 atmospheres, water remains liquid even at those high temperatures. The most likely source of
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#1732765589836984-520: A typical efficiency of approximately 30–40%, meaning that for every 100 watts of electricity consumed by the lamp, they will produce approximately 30–40 watts of total UV output. They also emit bluish-white visible light, due to mercury's other spectral lines. These "germicidal" lamps are used extensively for disinfection of surfaces in laboratories and food-processing industries, and for disinfecting water supplies. 'Black light' incandescent lamps are also made from an incandescent light bulb with
1066-449: A variety of wavelength bands into the vacuum ultraviolet. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can be manufactured to emit radiation in the ultraviolet range. In 2019, following significant advances over the preceding five years, UVA LEDs of 365 nm and longer wavelength were available, with efficiencies of 50% at 1.0 W output. Currently, the most common types of UV LEDs are in 395 nm and 365 nm wavelengths, both of which are in
1148-1051: Is about 126 nm, characteristic of the Ar 2 * excimer laser. Direct UV-emitting laser diodes are available at 375 nm. UV diode-pumped solid state lasers have been demonstrated using cerium - doped lithium strontium aluminum fluoride crystals (Ce:LiSAF), a process developed in the 1990s at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory . Wavelengths shorter than 325 nm are commercially generated in diode-pumped solid-state lasers . Ultraviolet lasers can also be made by applying frequency conversion to lower-frequency lasers. Ultraviolet lasers have applications in industry ( laser engraving ), medicine ( dermatology , and keratectomy ), chemistry ( MALDI ), free-air secure communications , computing ( optical storage ), and manufacture of integrated circuits. The vacuum ultraviolet (V‑UV) band (100–200 nm) can be generated by non-linear 4 wave mixing in gases by sum or difference frequency mixing of 2 or more longer wavelength lasers. The generation
1230-641: Is also produced by electric arcs , Cherenkov radiation , and specialized lights, such as mercury-vapor lamps , tanning lamps , and black lights . The photons of ultraviolet have greater energy than those of visible light, from about 3.1 to 12 electron volts , around the minimum energy required to ionize atoms . Although long-wavelength ultraviolet is not considered an ionizing radiation because its photons lack sufficient energy, it can induce chemical reactions and cause many substances to glow or fluoresce . Many practical applications, including chemical and biological effects, are derived from
1312-587: Is also responsible for the formation of vitamin D in most land vertebrates , including humans. The UV spectrum, thus, has effects both beneficial and detrimental to life. The lower wavelength limit of the visible spectrum is conventionally taken as 400 nm, so ultraviolet rays are not visible to humans , although people can sometimes perceive light at shorter wavelengths than this. Insects, birds, and some mammals can see near-UV (NUV), i.e., slightly shorter wavelengths than what humans can see. Ultraviolet rays are usually invisible to most humans. The lens of
1394-1075: Is challenged by the effect of post-crystallization alteration. Stable isotope data, indicating that the original host rocks to the zircon related to a significant amount of material formed on or near the Earth's surface and subsequently transferred to a middle- to lower-crustal level where they melted to generate the host magmas from which zircon crystallised. The development of textural criteria for identifying primary inclusions opens up possibilities for recognising zircons' changing provenance with time and investigating their post-depositional alteration history. There are two common inclusion assemblages that are consistent with their forming in "I-type" ( hornblende , quartz, biotite, plagioclase, apatite , ilmenite ) and "S-type" (quartz, K-feldspar, muscovite, monazite ) granitoids . Dominated by quartz with less abundant K-feldspar, plagioclase, muscovite, biotite, and phosphates, that are interpreted to have formed under relatively low geothermal gradient similar to that pertaining to modern subduction zones . By analysing
1476-412: Is composed of about 50% infrared light, 40% visible light, and 10% ultraviolet light, for a total intensity of about 1400 W/m in vacuum. The atmosphere blocks about 77% of the Sun's UV, when the Sun is highest in the sky (at zenith), with absorption increasing at shorter UV wavelengths. At ground level with the sun at zenith, sunlight is 44% visible light, 3% ultraviolet, and the remainder infrared. Of
1558-448: Is generally done in gasses (e.g. krypton, hydrogen which are two-photon resonant near 193 nm) or metal vapors (e.g. magnesium). By making one of the lasers tunable, the V‑UV can be tuned. If one of the lasers is resonant with a transition in the gas or vapor then the V‑UV production is intensified. However, resonances also generate wavelength dispersion, and thus the phase matching can limit
1640-497: Is in direct proportion to the degree of bright sunlight the body receives. Serotonin is thought to provide sensations of happiness, well-being and serenity to human beings. UV rays also treat certain skin conditions. Modern phototherapy has been used to successfully treat psoriasis , eczema , jaundice , vitiligo , atopic dermatitis , and localized scleroderma . In addition, UV radiation, in particular UVB radiation, has been shown to induce cell cycle arrest in keratinocytes ,
1722-419: Is no doubt that a little sunlight is good for you! But 5–15 minutes of casual sun exposure of hands, face and arms two to three times a week during the summer months is sufficient to keep your vitamin D levels high. Vitamin D can also be obtained from food and supplementation. Excess sun exposure produces harmful effects, however. Vitamin D promotes the creation of serotonin . The production of serotonin
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#17327655898361804-513: Is not emitted by the laser, but rather by electron transitions in an extremely hot tin or xenon plasma, which is excited by an excimer laser. This technique does not require a synchrotron, yet can produce UV at the edge of the X‑ray spectrum. Synchrotron light sources can also produce all wavelengths of UV, including those at the boundary of the UV and X‑ray spectra at 10 nm. The impact of ultraviolet radiation on human health has implications for
1886-498: Is planned to be used to calibrate the color cameras for the 2019 ESA Mars rover mission, since they will remain unfaded by the high level of UV present at the surface of Mars. Common soda–lime glass , such as window glass, is partially transparent to UVA, but is opaque to shorter wavelengths, passing about 90% of the light above 350 nm, but blocking over 90% of the light below 300 nm. A study found that car windows allow 3–4% of ambient UV to pass through, especially if
1968-454: Is the most common method to date using isotopes but it lacks capacity to measure Pb. Therefore, there is a possibility that the occurrences of single zircons over 4 billion years old could be due to inclusion of non-radiogenic Pb. U-Pb dating, delta O and Ti measurements can be tested by CAMECA ims 1270 ion microprobe. Epoxy are applied on the sample. A flat surface of sample is needed to conduct an analysis. U-Pb dating and T measurement uses
2050-484: Is thought to have triggered plate tectonics. Subduction due to plate tectonics would have removed carbonate from the early oceans, contributing to the removal of the CO 2 -rich early atmosphere. Removal of this early atmosphere is evidence of Hadean plate tectonics. If plate tectonics occurred in the Hadean, it would have formed continental crust . Different models predict different amounts of continental crust during
2132-446: Is visible to insects, some mammals, and some birds . Birds have a fourth color receptor for ultraviolet rays; this, coupled with eye structures that transmit more UV gives smaller birds "true" UV vision. "Ultraviolet" means "beyond violet" (from Latin ultra , "beyond"), violet being the color of the highest frequencies of visible light . Ultraviolet has a higher frequency (thus a shorter wavelength) than violet light. UV radiation
2214-676: The Pre-Archean . Prior to the 1980s and the discovery of Hadean lithic fragments , scientific narratives of the early Earth explanations were almost entirely in the hands of geodynamic modelers. In the last decades of the 20th century, geologists identified a few Hadean rocks from western Greenland , northwestern Canada , and Western Australia . In 2015, traces of carbon minerals interpreted as "remains of biotic life " were found in 4.1-billion-year-old rocks in Western Australia. The oldest dated zircon crystals, enclosed in
2296-540: The UV degradation (photo-oxidation) of a material. The absorbers can themselves degrade over time, so monitoring of absorber levels in weathered materials is necessary. In sunscreen , ingredients that absorb UVA/UVB rays, such as avobenzone , oxybenzone and octyl methoxycinnamate , are organic chemical absorbers or "blockers". They are contrasted with inorganic absorbers/"blockers" of UV radiation such as carbon black , titanium dioxide , and zinc oxide . For clothing,
2378-480: The nitrogen - and carbon dioxide -rich, weakly reducing Paleoarchean atmosphere . The eon's name "Hadean" comes from Hades , the Greek god of the underworld (whose name is also used to describe the underworld itself), referring to the hellish conditions then prevailing on early Earth : the planet had just been formed from recent accretion , and its surface was still molten with superheated lava due to that,
2460-512: The origin of life . Abundant Hadean-like geothermal microenvironments were shown by Salditt et al. to have the potential to support the synthesis and replication of RNA and thus possibly the evolution of a primitive life form. Porous rock systems comprising heated air-water interfaces were shown to allow ribozyme - catalyzed RNA replication of sense and antisense strands followed by subsequent strand dissociation, thus enabling combined synthesis, release and folding of active ribozymes. Such
2542-405: The solar nebula and the gas giants , with mostly water vapor , methane and ammonia . As the Earth's surface cooled, vaporized atmospheric water condensed into liquid water and eventually a superocean covering nearly all of the planet was formed, turning Earth into an ocean planet . Volcanic outgassing and asteroid bombardments further altered the Hadean atmosphere eventually into
Hadean - Misplaced Pages Continue
2624-462: The ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) represents the ratio of sunburn -causing UV without and with the protection of the fabric, similar to sun protection factor (SPF) ratings for sunscreen . Standard summer fabrics have UPFs around 6, which means that about 20% of UV will pass through. Suspended nanoparticles in stained-glass prevent UV rays from causing chemical reactions that change image colors. A set of stained-glass color-reference chips
2706-469: The Archean, Earth has a global ocean in the Hadean. The high heat of the mantle may have made it difficult to support high elevations in the Hadean. If continents did form in the Hadean, their growth competed with outgassing of water from the mantle. Continents may have appeared in the mid-Hadean, and then disappeared under a thick ocean by the end of the Hadean. The limited amount of land has implications for
2788-646: The EUV spectrum is set by a prominent He spectral line at 30.4 nm. EUV is strongly absorbed by most known materials, but synthesizing multilayer optics that reflect up to about 50% of EUV radiation at normal incidence is possible. This technology was pioneered by the NIXT and MSSTA sounding rockets in the 1990s, and it has been used to make telescopes for solar imaging. See also the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer satellite . Some sources use
2870-480: The Earth's earliest geological time period, the Hadean eon, about 4 billion years ago. Zircon is a mineral that is commonly used for radiometric dating because it is highly resistant to chemical changes and appears in the form of small crystals or grains in most igneous and metamorphic host rocks. Hadean zircon has very low abundance around the globe because of recycling of material by plate tectonics . When
2952-505: The Hadean eon of early earth is poorly known due to the lack of rock record older than 4.02 Ga ( giga-annum or billion years). Most scientists accept that the plate recycling mechanism has melted almost all pieces of Earth's crust. However, some tiny parts of the crust have not been melted, as some rare Hadean zircon grains included in much younger host rock were discovered. The examination of Hadean detrital or inherited grains of zircon can give evidence of geophysical conditions of
3034-446: The Hadean. The work of Dhiume et al. predicts that by the end of the Hadean, the continental crust had only 25% of today's area. The models of Korenaga, et al. predict that the continental crust grew to present-day volume sometime between 4.2 and 4.0 Gya . The amount of exposed land in the Hadean is only loosely dependent on the amount of continental crust: it also depends on the ocean level. In models where plate tectonics started in
3116-431: The Sun, are absorbed by oxygen and generate the ozone in the ozone layer when single oxygen atoms produced by UV photolysis of dioxygen react with more dioxygen. The ozone layer is especially important in blocking most UVB and the remaining part of UVC not already blocked by ordinary oxygen in air. Ultraviolet absorbers are molecules used in organic materials ( polymers , paints , etc.) to absorb UV radiation to reduce
3198-557: The UV spectrum. Sensitive UV photomultipliers are available. Spectrometers and radiometers are made for measurement of UV radiation. Silicon detectors are used across the spectrum. Vacuum UV, or VUV, wavelengths (shorter than 200 nm) are strongly absorbed by molecular oxygen in the air, though the longer wavelengths around 150–200 nm can propagate through nitrogen . Scientific instruments can, therefore, use this spectral range by operating in an oxygen-free atmosphere (pure nitrogen, or argon for shorter wavelengths), without
3280-674: The UV was greater than 380 nm. Other types of car windows can reduce transmission of UV that is greater than 335 nm. Fused quartz , depending on quality, can be transparent even to vacuum UV wavelengths. Crystalline quartz and some crystals such as CaF 2 and MgF 2 transmit well down to 150 nm or 160 nm wavelengths. Wood's glass is a deep violet-blue barium-sodium silicate glass with about 9% nickel(II) oxide developed during World War I to block visible light for covert communications. It allows both infrared daylight and ultraviolet night-time communications by being transparent between 320 nm and 400 nm and also
3362-880: The UVA spectrum. The rated wavelength is the peak wavelength that the LEDs put out, but light at both higher and lower wavelengths are present. The cheaper and more common 395 nm UV LEDs are much closer to the visible spectrum, and give off a purple color. Other UV LEDs deeper into the spectrum do not emit as much visible light. LEDs are used for applications such as UV curing applications, charging glow-in-the-dark objects such as paintings or toys, and lights for detecting counterfeit money and bodily fluids. UV LEDs are also used in digital print applications and inert UV curing environments. Power densities approaching 3 W/cm (30 kW/m ) are now possible, and this, coupled with recent developments by photo-initiator and resin formulators, makes
Hadean - Misplaced Pages Continue
3444-484: The UVC band at 253.7 nm and 185 nm due to the mercury within the lamp, as well as some visible light. From 85% to 90% of the UV produced by these lamps is at 253.7 nm, whereas only 5–10% is at 185 nm. The fused quartz tube passes the 253.7 nm radiation but blocks the 185 nm wavelength. Such tubes have two or three times the UVC power of a regular fluorescent lamp tube. These low-pressure lamps have
3526-463: The abundance of short-lived radioactive elements, and frequent impact events with other Solar System bodies. The term was coined by American geologist Preston Cloud , originally to label the period before the earliest known rocks on Earth. W.B. Harland later coined an almost synonymous term, the Priscoan period , from priscus , a Latin word for 'ancient'. Other, older texts refer to the eon as
3608-584: The beginning of the UVB band at 315 nm, and rapidly increasing to 300 nm. The skin and eyes are most sensitive to damage by UV at 265–275 nm, which is in the lower UVC band. At still shorter wavelengths of UV, damage continues to happen, but the overt effects are not as great with so little penetrating the atmosphere. The WHO -standard ultraviolet index is a widely publicized measurement of total strength of UV wavelengths that cause sunburn on human skin, by weighting UV exposure for action spectrum effects at
3690-403: The colored glow that many substances give off when exposed to UV light. UVA / UVB emitting bulbs are also sold for other special purposes, such as tanning lamps and reptile-husbandry. Shortwave UV lamps are made using a fluorescent lamp tube with no phosphor coating, composed of fused quartz or vycor , since ordinary glass absorbs UVC. These lamps emit ultraviolet light with two peaks in
3772-618: The content of zircon, some zircon show the presence of titanium, rare earth minerals, lithium, aluminium and carbon. Certain ratio and normal distribution give evidence of zircon's origin and the source of magma. Ion microprobe (or secondary ion mass spectrometry , SIMS) and uranium-thorium-lead geochronology are two common methods to measure isotope in specific time interval. Highly precise in situ SIMS measurements of oxygen isotopes and OH/O ratios, laser-ablation inductively-coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) determination of hafnium isotopes, and atom-probe tomography . LA-ICP-MS
3854-564: The daughter product Pb. Trace element and isotopic composition of zircon is important to determine the crystallisation environment. Results from detrital zircons from the Erawondoo Hill discovery site conglomerate generally show the zircons to have a bimodal age distribution with major peaks at c. 3.4 and 4.1 Ga. However, zircon is sensitive to radiation damage and can degrade into amorphous material. The Hadean zircon with original uranium concentrations greater than 600 ppm
3936-526: The development of solar-blind devices has been an important area of research. Wide-gap solid-state devices or vacuum devices with high-cutoff photocathodes can be attractive compared to silicon diodes. Extreme UV (EUV or sometimes XUV) is characterized by a transition in the physics of interaction with matter. Wavelengths longer than about 30 nm interact mainly with the outer valence electrons of atoms, while wavelengths shorter than that interact mainly with inner-shell electrons and nuclei. The long end of
4018-581: The distinction of "hard UV" and "soft UV". For instance, in the case of astrophysics , the boundary may be at the Lyman limit (wavelength 91.2 nm, the energy needed to ionise a hydrogen atom from its ground state), with "hard UV" being more energetic; the same terms may also be used in other fields, such as cosmetology , optoelectronic , etc. The numerical values of the boundary between hard/soft, even within similar scientific fields, do not necessarily coincide; for example, one applied-physics publication used
4100-573: The early earth. Since there is no strong evidence depicting the early Earth's true environment, many models are generated to explain early Earth history. The high value of Hadean heat production and impact flux proved that continental crust did not exist, which is very different from the modern process. In the absence of large amount of undistributed data and within the constraints of analytical methods, calculation on geophysics and planetary science has been rapidly developed to explore this new area of knowledge. Less than 1% of zircons detected around
4182-463: The emitting sources in UV spectroscopy equipment for chemical analysis. Other UV sources with more continuous emission spectra include xenon arc lamps (commonly used as sunlight simulators), deuterium arc lamps , mercury-xenon arc lamps , and metal-halide arc lamps . The excimer lamp , a UV source developed in the early 2000s, is seeing increasing use in scientific fields. It has the advantages of high-intensity, high efficiency, and operation at
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#17327655898364264-575: The entire UV range. The nitrogen gas laser uses electronic excitation of nitrogen molecules to emit a beam that is mostly UV. The strongest ultraviolet lines are at 337.1 nm and 357.6 nm in wavelength. Another type of high-power gas lasers are excimer lasers . They are widely used lasers emitting in ultraviolet and vacuum ultraviolet wavelength ranges. Presently, UV argon-fluoride excimer lasers operating at 193 nm are routinely used in integrated circuit production by photolithography . The current wavelength limit of production of coherent UV
4346-466: The existence of plate tectonics as early as 4 billion years ago (approximately 600 million years after Earth's formation). However, some geologists suggest that the zircons could have been formed by meteorite impacts. The direct evidence of Hadean geology from zircons is limited, because the zircons are largely gathered in one locality in Australia. Geophysical models are underconstrained, but can paint
4428-482: The expansion of LED cured UV materials likely. UVC LEDs are developing rapidly, but may require testing to verify effective disinfection. Citations for large-area disinfection are for non-LED UV sources known as germicidal lamps . Also, they are used as line sources to replace deuterium lamps in liquid chromatography instruments. Gas lasers , laser diodes , and solid-state lasers can be manufactured to emit ultraviolet rays, and lasers are available that cover
4510-582: The eye when operating. Incandescent black lights are also produced, using a filter coating on the envelope of an incandescent bulb that absorbs visible light ( see section below ). These are cheaper but very inefficient, emitting only a small fraction of a percent of their power as UV. Mercury-vapor black lights in ratings up to 1 kW with UV-emitting phosphor and an envelope of Wood's glass are used for theatrical and concert displays. Black lights are used in applications in which extraneous visible light must be minimized; mainly to observe fluorescence ,
4592-531: The former of which would be readily removed by the then- reducing atmosphere , while the latter (along with the similarly light helium ) would be expected to continually leave the atmosphere (as it does to the present day) due to atmospheric escape . Part of the ancient planet is theorized to have been disrupted by the impact that created the Moon , which should have caused the melting of one or two large regions of Earth. Earth's present composition suggests that there
4674-544: The ground right into early summer and sun positions even at zenith are low, are particularly at risk. Skin, the circadian system, and the immune system can also be affected. The differential effects of various wavelengths of light on the human cornea and skin are sometimes called the "erythemal action spectrum". The action spectrum shows that UVA does not cause immediate reaction, but rather UV begins to cause photokeratitis and skin redness (with lighter skinned individuals being more sensitive) at wavelengths starting near
4756-542: The growth zoning and inclusion mineralogy shows that Hadean zircon from the Jack Hills all come from igneous sources. The unspecified samples used for analyses below were Jack Hills zircon in Australia because of the high abundances and data available. U-Pb dating in the U-Pb zircon system has long been viewed as the crustal geochronometer because zircon is chemically resistant and enriched in U and Th compared to
4838-516: The human eye blocks most radiation in the wavelength range of 300–400 nm; shorter wavelengths are blocked by the cornea . Humans also lack color receptor adaptations for ultraviolet rays. Nevertheless, the photoreceptors of the retina are sensitive to near-UV, and people lacking a lens (a condition known as aphakia ) perceive near-UV as whitish-blue or whitish-violet. Under some conditions, children and young adults can see ultraviolet down to wavelengths around 310 nm. Near-UV radiation
4920-408: The lack of suitable gas / vapor cell window materials above the lithium fluoride cut-off wavelength limit the tuning range to longer than about 110 nm. Tunable V‑UV wavelengths down to 75 nm was achieved using window-free configurations. Lasers have been used to indirectly generate non-coherent extreme UV (E‑UV) radiation at 13.5 nm for extreme ultraviolet lithography . The E‑UV
5002-419: The longer infrared and just-barely-visible red wavelengths. Its maximum UV transmission is at 365 nm, one of the wavelengths of mercury lamps . A black light lamp emits long-wave UVA radiation and little visible light. Fluorescent black light lamps work similarly to other fluorescent lamps , but use a phosphor on the inner tube surface which emits UVA radiation instead of visible light. Some lamps use
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#17327655898365084-461: The mineral's surface and blow off ions and estimate the abundance of the elements within a very small sized sample. Many isotopes can be measured at once in this analysis for example Ti and Li. Plate tectonic theory is widely accepted for the generation of crust. With the Hadean rock record, most of the scientists concluded that the hypothesis of a hellish early Earth devoid of ocean is incorrect. Scientists have constructed different models to explain
5166-473: The most common type of skin cell. As such, sunlight therapy can be a candidate for treatment of conditions such as psoriasis and exfoliative cheilitis , conditions in which skin cells divide more rapidly than usual or necessary. In humans, excessive exposure to UV radiation can result in acute and chronic harmful effects on the eye's dioptric system and retina . The risk is elevated at high altitudes and people living in high latitude areas where snow covers
5248-486: The need for costly vacuum chambers. Significant examples include 193-nm photolithography equipment (for semiconductor manufacturing ) and circular dichroism spectrometers. Technology for VUV instrumentation was largely driven by solar astronomy for many decades. While optics can be used to remove unwanted visible light that contaminates the VUV, in general, detectors can be limited by their response to non-VUV radiation, and
5330-607: The older material. One example occurs in the Guiana shield from the Iwokrama Formation of southern Guyana where zircon cores have been dated at 4.22 Ga. A sizable quantity of water would have been in the material that formed Earth. Water molecules would have escaped Earth's gravity more easily when the planet was less massive during its formation. Photodissociation by short-wave ultraviolet in sunlight could split surface water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen ,
5412-405: The possible existence of plate boundary interactions. Ultraviolet Ultraviolet radiation , also known as simply UV , is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers , shorter than that of visible light , but longer than X-rays . UV radiation is present in sunlight , and constitutes about 10% of the total electromagnetic radiation output from the Sun. It
5494-454: The previous year at the other end of the visible spectrum. The simpler term "chemical rays" was adopted soon afterwards, and remained popular throughout the 19th century, although some said that this radiation was entirely different from light (notably John William Draper , who named them "tithonic rays" ). The terms "chemical rays" and "heat rays" were eventually dropped in favor of ultraviolet and infrared radiation , respectively. In 1878,
5576-515: The risks and benefits of sun exposure and is also implicated in issues such as fluorescent lamps and health . Getting too much sun exposure can be harmful, but in moderation, sun exposure is beneficial. UV (specifically, UVB) causes the body to produce vitamin D , which is essential for life. Humans need some UV radiation to maintain adequate vitamin D levels. According to the World Health Organization: There
5658-497: The rock at the surface is buried deep in the Earth it is heated and can recrystallise or melt. In the Jack Hills , Australia, scientists obtained a relatively comprehensive record of Hadean zircon crystals in contrast to other locations. The Jack Hills zircons are found in metamorphosed sediments that were initially deposited around 3 billion years ago, or during the Archean Eon. However, the zircon crystals there are older than
5740-453: The rocks that contain them. Many investigations have been carried out to find the absolute age and properties of zircon, for example the isotope ratios, mineral inclusions , and geochemistry of zircon. The characteristics of Hadean zircons show early Earth history and the mechanism of Earth's processes in the past. Based on the properties of these zircon crystals, many different geological models were proposed. The geological history of
5822-462: The same way as the visible blue light from those parts of the sky. UVB also plays a major role in plant development, as it affects most of the plant hormones. During total overcast, the amount of absorption due to clouds is heavily dependent on the thickness of the clouds and latitude, with no clear measurements correlating specific thickness and absorption of UVA and UVB. The shorter bands of UVC, as well as even more-energetic UV radiation produced by
5904-415: The skin to UV, along with an increased risk of skin cancer . The amount of UV radiation produced by the Sun means that the Earth would not be able to sustain life on dry land if most of that light were not filtered out by the atmosphere . More energetic, shorter-wavelength "extreme" UV below 121 nm ionizes air so strongly that it is absorbed before it reaches the ground. However, UV (specifically, UVB)
5986-586: The sterilizing effect of short-wavelength light by killing bacteria was discovered. By 1903, the most effective wavelengths were known to be around 250 nm. In 1960, the effect of ultraviolet radiation on DNA was established. The discovery of the ultraviolet radiation with wavelengths below 200 nm, named "vacuum ultraviolet" because it is strongly absorbed by the oxygen in air, was made in 1893 by German physicist Victor Schumann . The electromagnetic spectrum of ultraviolet radiation (UVR), defined most broadly as 10–400 nanometers, can be subdivided into
6068-703: The thermal history in the early earth, such as the continental growth model, Icelandic rhyolites, intermediate igneous rocks, mafic igneous rocks, sagduction , impact melt , heat-pipe tectonics , terrestrial KREEP and multi-stage scenarios. The most famous one is continental growth model which is similar to the modern tectonic dynamics. Relatively low crystallisation temperature and some are enriched in heavy oxygen, contain inclusion similar to modern crustal processes and show evidence of silicate differentiation at ~4.5 Ga. Early terrestrial hydrosphere, early felsic crust in which granitoids were produced and later weathered under high water activity conditions and even
6150-478: The tunable range of the 4 wave mixing. Difference frequency mixing (i.e., f 1 + f 2 − f 3 ) has an advantage over sum frequency mixing because the phase matching can provide greater tuning. In particular, difference frequency mixing two photons of an Ar F (193 nm) excimer laser with a tunable visible or near IR laser in hydrogen or krypton provides resonantly enhanced tunable V‑UV covering from 100 nm to 200 nm. Practically,
6232-562: The two major characteristics that differentiate mantle derived zircon or oceanic crust-derived zircon. Lunar and meteoritic zircons are unique because of their REE signature for example, lack of a cerium anomaly. The crystallization temperature ranges from 900 to 1100 °C. In contrast, terrestrial Hadean zircons are restricted to 600 to 780 °C. Hadean Jack Hills zircon has a wide range of oxygen fraction comparing to meteoritic zircons. No extraterrestrial zircons were found in any terrestrial locality. The textural characteristics like
6314-500: The ultraviolet radiation that reaches the Earth's surface, more than 95% is the longer wavelengths of UVA, with the small remainder UVB. Almost no UVC reaches the Earth's surface. The fraction of UVA and UVB which remains in UV radiation after passing through the atmosphere is heavily dependent on cloud cover and atmospheric conditions. On "partly cloudy" days, patches of blue sky showing between clouds are also sources of (scattered) UVA and UVB, which are produced by Rayleigh scattering in
6396-576: The water in the Hadean ocean was outgassing from the Earth's mantle . Bombardment origin of a substantial amount of water is unlikely, due to the incompatibility of isotope fractions between the Earth and comets. Asteroid impacts during the Hadean and into the Archean would have periodically disrupted the ocean. The geological record from 3.2 Gya contains evidence of multiple impacts of objects up to 100 kilometres (62 mi) in diameter. Each such impact would have boiled off up to 100 metres (330 ft) of
6478-417: The way that UV radiation can interact with organic molecules. These interactions can involve absorption or adjusting energy states in molecules, but do not necessarily involve heating. Short-wave ultraviolet light is ionizing radiation . Consequently, short-wave UV damages DNA and sterilizes surfaces with which it comes into contact. For humans, suntan and sunburn are familiar effects of exposure of
6560-784: The world are over four billion years old. The probability of discovering so much as a single zircon over four billion years in age is very low. The abundance of over four billion-year-old zircon in the Jack Hills is anomalously high for most Archean quartzites and thus abundances probabilities of other spots are extremely low (0.2–0.02%). By adopting uranium-lead dating (U-Pb) together with other analytical methods, more geochemical information can be obtained. Only 3% out of over 200,000 detrital zircon grains dated by U-Pb analysis are over four billion years old. Due to different content of uranium and trace element concentration, four clusters of zircons are identified as below Low crystallisation temperatures and trace element characteristics are
6642-657: Was discovered in February 1801 when the German physicist Johann Wilhelm Ritter observed that invisible rays just beyond the violet end of the visible spectrum darkened silver chloride -soaked paper more quickly than violet light itself. He announced the discovery in a very brief letter to the Annalen der Physik and later called them "(de-)oxidizing rays" ( German : de-oxidierende Strahlen ) to emphasize chemical reactivity and to distinguish them from " heat rays ", discovered
6724-444: Was not complete remelting as it is difficult to completely melt and mix huge rock masses. However, a fair fraction of material should have been vaporized by this impact. The material would have condensed within 2,000 years. The initial magma ocean solidified within 5 million years, leaving behind hot volatiles which probably resulted in a heavy CO 2 atmosphere with hydrogen and water vapor . The initial heavy atmosphere had
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