Maritime Continent of which contribute to the development of the Tropical Warm Pool, which is the warmest large area of ocean on Earth. Coined by Colin Ramage in 1968, the name combines the terms "maritime" and "continent" normally used as opposites in the description of climate. Maritime air is humid, and continental air is dry. In the Southeast Asia region, land masses and bodies of water are, roughly-speaking, evenly distributed. Moreover, the land masses are characterized by high mountains, and the seas are among the warmest on the earth. This produces a widespread area of diurnal thunderstorms which pump huge quantities of
Geological history of Earth (approximately ) during which a large number of impact craters are believed to have formed on the Moon, and by inference on Earth, Mercury, Venus and Mars as well. The Earth of the early Archean () may have had a different tectonic style. During this time, the Earth's crust cooled enough that rocks and continental plates began to form. Some scientists think because the Earth was hotter, that plate tectonic activity was more vigorous than it is today, resulting in a much greater rate of recycling of crustal material. This may have prevented cratonisation and continent formation until the mantle