Precambrian Research 368 (2022) 106487 0301-9268/© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Invited Review Article Temporal variations in the incompatible trace element systematics of Archean volcanic rocks: Implications for tectonic processes in the early Earth Paul Sotiriou a, d , Ali Polat a, * , Brian F. Windley b , Timothy Kusky c a School of the Environment, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada b School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK c State Key Lab for Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, Center for Global Tectonics, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China d GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Friedrich-Alexander Universit¨ at, Erlangen 91054, Bayern, Germany A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Archean volcanic rocks Archean tectonics Temporal variation Trace element systematics Modern arc volcanic rocks ABSTRACT Temporal variations in the incompatible trace element geochemistry of volcanic rocks in Archean greenstone belts have major implications for the style of tectonics that operated in the early Earth, and if and when plate tectonic processes occurred in the Archean, which are still subjects of substantial debate. Comparing the geochemistry of Archean volcanic rocks with that of Phanerozoic arc volcanic rocks has the potential to shed light on these questions. Geochemical data from 8,249 Eoarchean to Neoarchean volcanic rocks and 20,099 Phanerozoic arc volcanic rocks were compiled from the literature to address the above questions through the application of temporal incompatible trace element ratio variations, N-MORB-normalised trace element dia- grams, and tectonic setting discrimination diagrams. The sampled rocks range in composition from ultramafc through basaltic and andesitic to dacitic/rhyolitic. Most of the incorporated Archean volcanic rocks were deemed to have been unaffected by signifcant alteration or crustal contamination in the literature and, therefore, to refect their provenance, a feature that was corroborated by this study. Most of these Archean volcanic rocks plot in the plate margin, oceanic arc and continental arc felds in classifcation and tectonic setting discrimination diagrams, with the remainder plotting in the alkaline arc, mid-ocean ridge and oceanic island felds. Comparison between N-MORB-normalised trace element diagrams of volcanic rocks from well-studied Archean greenstone belts in Greenland, Canada, South Africa, China, Australia, India, Brazil and Finland and volcanic rocks from well-studied modern arcs demonstrates that their trace element patterns are remarkably similar. This indicates that the former formed in arc-related settings by modern-style plate tectonic processes that operated throughout the Archean. The Pb and Nb anomalies of most Archean volcanic rocks are fully consistent with an arc-related setting. The temporal variations in the incompatible trace element ratios of Archean volcanic rocks, coupled with their lithological associations, demonstrate that intra-oceanic arc magmatism was prominent in the Eoarchean before a shift in these ratios in the Paleoarchean signifed the beginning of Andean-style continental arc magmatism between 3500 and 3200 Ma. Modern-style plate tectonic processes were a far more important contributor to Archean crustal growth and evolution than sagduction-driven vertical tectonic processes. 1. Introduction In this study, we adopt the craton terminology presented in S ¸ eng¨ or et al. (2021a). Archean cratons, such as the North American Craton, the Indian Craton, the Sub-Saharan Craton, the Australian Craton, the Bra- zilian Craton, the Siberian Craton, and the Russian Craton (Fig. 1), contain greenstone belts that range in age from 3850 to 2500 Ma (de Wit and Ashwal, 1997; Furnes et al., 2014, 2015; Windley et al., 2021). In S ¸ eng¨ or et al. (2021a), Greenland is included in the North American Craton because it was part of the North American Craton (Laurentia) until the opening of the Davis Strait-Baffn Bay in the Paleocene-Eocene. Given that Greenland is separated from the North American Craton by * Corresponding author. E-mail address: polat@uwindsor.ca (A. Polat). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Precambrian Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/precamres https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2021.106487 Received 25 June 2021; Received in revised form 20 November 2021; Accepted 22 November 2021