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Researchers studying ancient rocks from Western Australia found evidence that water was reaching deep into Earth's mantle more than three billion years ago, well before modern plate tectonics may have fully developed. They propose a process called 'dripduction,' in which water-rich crust periodically sank into the mantle, generating magma and volcanic eruptions. The discovery reshapes understanding of early Earth's geological processes and how water cycling influenced volcanic activity long before conventional tectonic plate movement.