The structural evolution of the deep continental lithosphere

Abstract Continental lithosphere houses the oldest and thickest regions of the Earth's surface. Locked within this deep and ancient rock record lies invaluable information about the dynamics that has shaped and continue to shape the planet. Much of that history has been dominated by the forces of plate tectonics which has repeatedly assembled super continents together and torn them apart - the Wilson Cycle. While the younger regions of continental lithosphere have been subject to deformation driven by plate tectonics, it is less clear whether the ancient, stable cores formed and evolved from similar processes. New insight into continental formation and evolution has come from remarkable views of deeper lithospheric structure using enhanced seismic imaging techniques and the increase in large volumes of broadband data. Some of the most compelling observations are that the continental lithosphere has a broad range in thicknesses (  300 km), has complex internal structure, and that the thickest portion appears to be riddled with seismic discontinuities at depths between ~ 80 and ~ 130 km. These internal structural features have been interpreted as remnants of lithospheric formation during Earth's early history. If they are remnants, then we can attempt to investigate the structure present in the deep lithosphere to piece together information about early Earth dynamics much as is done closer to the surface. This would help delineate between the differing models describing the dynamics of craton formation, particularly whether they formed in the era of modern plate tectonics, a transitional mobile-lid tectonic regime, or are the last fragments of an early, stagnant-lid planet. Our review paper (re)introduces readers to the conceptual definitions of the lithosphere and the complex nature of the upper boundary layer, then moves on to discuss techniques and recent seismological observations of the continental lithosphere. We then review geodynamic models and hypotheses for the formation of the continental lithosphere through time and implications for the formation and preservation of deep structure. These are contrasted with the dynamical picture of modern day continental growth during lateral accretion of juvenile crust with reference to examples from the Australian Tasmanides and the Alaskan accretionary margin.