A new study suggests that modern plate tectonics may have formed as early as 3.2 billion years ago, about 400 million years earlier than scientists estimated. That, in turn, implies that the movement of large pieces of Earth’s crust could have played a role in making the planet more hospitable to life. A team of researchers has analyzed 235 samples of the basalt using an instrument called a quantum diamond microscope that can identify traces of magnetism at the micrometer scale. From these studies, the researchers designed a high-resolution map of magnetic orientations within the rock. Based on the map, the team predicts that about 3.2 billion years ago, the East Pilbara Craton was at a latitude of about 45°, but whether north or south isn’t specified.