US EditionThese Canadian Rocks May Be the Oldest on Earth
- On June 26, researchers published in Science that some of the Earth's oldest rocks, clocking in at a minimum of 4.16 billion years, were found in a remote geological formation located in Quebec.
- This finding builds on a 2008 debate where scientists questioned whether the 4.3-billion-year-old rocks represented Earth’s oldest crust, due to controversial dating methods.
- Scientists used two distinct radioactive decay methods on ancient magma that both yielded the same 4.16-billion-year date, situating the rocks’ formation in the Hadean eon.
- Geologist Jonathan O'Neil emphasized that the focus is not on whose rock is older, but rather on how these rocks offer a rare chance to gain insights into the conditions that existed during that early period.
- If confirmed, these rocks offer crucial insight into Earth's earliest crust and conditions during the Hadean, potentially informing origins of oceans, life, and plate tectonics.
60 Articles
60 Articles
Scientists have identified what could be the oldest rocks on Earth, coming from a Quebec rock formation.
Canadian rocks may be the oldest on Earth
Scientists have identified what could be the oldest rocks on Earth from a rock formation in Canada. The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt has long been known for its ancient rocks — plains of streaked gray stone on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay in Quebec. But researchers disagree on exactly how…
Rocks in Canada's Quebec province found to be the oldest on Earth
Along the eastern shore of Hudson Bay in Canada's northeastern province of Quebec, near the Inuit municipality of Inukjuak, resides a belt of volcanic rock that displays a blend of dark and light green colors, with flecks of pink and black. New testing shows that these are Earth's oldest-known rocks. Read more at straitstimes.com.
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