Plate tectonics provides the linking framework for all tectonic and magmatic activity seen today, but it is not known when plate tectonics first developed on Earth. New deep seismic reflection and coincident refraction profiles across an exposed, 1.89-Gyr-old volcanic arc complex show a 10-km-thick offset in the Moho and bivergent reflectors in the crust, which were most probably created by plate convergence, subduction and accretion during the Early Proterozoic. Hence, plate tectonic models seem to be applicable for at least the second half of Earth's history.