The continents, a specific feature of our planet, still hold many secrets. Using chemical data on sedimentary rocks compiled from the scientific literature from the 1980s to the present day, researchers have uncovered a new geological history of the continents. The research shows that their growth was not a continuous process, and that they have always been rich in silica1. This new study calls into question certain models of the onset of plate tectonics and provides us with a better understanding of continental growth through time.