A new approach to the investigation of the Sm/Nd evolution of the upper mantle directly from the data on lherzolite xenoliths is described in this paper.It is demonstrated that the model age TCHUR of an unmetasomatic iherzolite zenolith ca represent the mean depletion age of its mantle source, thus presenting a correlation trend between fSm/Nd and the mean depletion age of the upper mantle from the data on xenoliths.This correlation trend can also be derived from the data on river suspended loads as well as from granitoids.Based on the correlation trend mentioned above and mean depletion ages of the upper mantle at various geological times, an evolution curve for the mean fSm/Nd value of the upper mantle through geological time has been established.It is suggested that the upwilling of lower mantle material into the upper mantle and the recycling of continental crust material during the Archean were more active ,thus maintaining fairly constantfSm/Nd and εNd values during this time period. Similarly ,an evolution curve for the mean fSm/Nd value of the continental crust through geological time has also been established from the data of continental crust material.In the light of both evolution curves for the upper mantle and continental crust ,a growth curve for the continental crust has been worked out ,suggesting that :(1)about 30%(in volume )of the present crust was present as the continental crust at 3.8 Ga ago ;(2)the growth rate was much lower during the Archean ;and (3)the Proterozoic is another major period of time during which the continental crust wsa built up .
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