The evolution and crustal growth processes on the Earth during the late Archaean period (~2.5Ga) was my research focus after joining IISc, especially during the current review period of July 2014 to July 2020. The Archean-Proterozoic boundary represents a significant transitional period in Earth evolution, when there was a sudden rise in the amount of atmospheric oxygen (Great Oxidation Event) and the birth of present-day plate tectonics. Globally, ~2.5 Ga-old terranes are rarely preserved, because this period marks a sudden drop in the volume of newly formed crust, which in turn represents the beginning of active plate tectonics. Moreover, Archaean arcs and continents worldwide are unusually rich in mineral resources; accordingly, it is imperative to understand their genesis and evolution. 

Several fragments of the Gondwana Supercontinent, such as India, Africa, Sri Lanka, and East Antarctica, consist of Late Archaean crust. Among these, southern India is particularly important as it contains several ~2.5 Ga crustal units that were metamorphosed to a very high-grade at ~2.4 Ga.