Oldest Rocks on Earth Discovered – They Are More Than 4 Billion Years Old
An outcrop of metamorphosed rock in the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, Canada. Image credit: NASA
The researchers suspected that the rocks in that location might belong to the earliest periods in Earth’s history. To establish their age, they collected samples and conducted analyses on the isotopes of rare earth elements neodymium and samarium. By measuring minute variations in these isotopes, they concluded that the samples dated back to approximately 3.8 to 4.28 billion years.
The earliest recorded dates, originating from rocks referred to as “faux amphibolite” by geologists, are believed to be ancient volcanic sediments. These surpass the previously known oldest rocks, which are 4.03 billion years old and originate from a formation known as the Acasta Gneiss in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
The researchers suspected that the rocks in that location might belong to the earliest periods in Earth’s history. To establish their age, they collected samples and conducted analyses on the isotopes of rare earth elements neodymium and samarium. By measuring minute variations in these isotopes, they concluded that the samples dated back to approximately 3.8 to 4.28 billion years.
The earliest recorded dates, originating from rocks referred to as “faux amphibolite” by geologists, are believed to be ancient volcanic sediments. These surpass the previously known oldest rocks, which are 4.03 billion years old and originate from a formation known as the Acasta Gneiss in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
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10 August 2023
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