Archean cratonic shields, associated with vast granite-greenstone assemblages, represent the oldest nuclei of Earth's continental lithosphere. These are surrounded and overlain by coeval and younger sedimentary rocks that can give key insights into the early oxygenation events, evolution of the continental crust, the seawater composition and the earliest life on Earth. The formation, stabilization and the subsequent growth of cratons around the world and their emergence above sea level have often been intertwined with knowing the chemical composition of seawater in the Precambrian. However, this record remains incomplete due to the lack of global datasets, limited exposure of Archean and early Proterozoic rocks, and late-emplacement events such as metamorphism. For a better understanding of the early evolution of the planet, multi-disciplinary approaches involving isotope and elemental geochemistry, geochronology, biogeochemistry, petrology, and geodynamic modelling of different ancient regions on the Earth is required. We welcome contributions from any of these disciplines that utilize traditional or novel approaches to advance our knowledge on early differentiation and secular evolution of Earth's crust, mantle and oceans, existent tectonic regimes and the deposition of sedimentary units that facilitated oxygenation and life, thereby gaining meaningful information on the formation of the early lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere on Earth.

Archean cratonic shields, associated with vast granite-greenstone assemblages, represent the oldest nuclei of Earth's continental lithosphere. These are surrounded and overlain by coeval and younger sedimentary rocks that can give key insights into the early oxygenation events, evolution of the continental crust, the seawater composition and the earliest life on Earth. The formation, stabilization and the subsequent growth of cratons around the world and their emergence above sea level have often been intertwined with knowing the chemical composition of seawater in the Precambrian. However, this record remains incomplete due to the lack of global datasets, limited exposure of Archean and early Proterozoic rocks, and late-emplacement events such as metamorphism. For a better understanding of the early evolution of the planet, multi-disciplinary approaches involving isotope and elemental geochemistry, geochronology, biogeochemistry, petrology, and geodynamic modelling of different ancient regions on the Earth is required. We welcome contributions from any of these disciplines that utilize traditional or novel approaches to advance our knowledge on early differentiation and secular evolution of Earth's crust, mantle and oceans, existent tectonic regimes and the deposition of sedimentary units that facilitated oxygenation and life, thereby gaining meaningful information on the formation of the early lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere on Earth.