Scientists identify 4.16-billion-year-old rock in Canada, possibly Earth's earliest crust
Scientists have identified a 4.16-billion-year-old rock formation in northern Quebec, potentially the oldest known fragment of Earth's crust. This discovery pushes back the timeline of Earth's known crust into the Hadean eon, offering a glimpse into the planet's fiery beginnings. While some experts remain cautious about the dating technique, the find holds cultural significance for Inuit communities.
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An isolated and wind-blasted stretch of Canada's Hudson Bay shoreline may hold the oldest surviving fragment of our planet's crust, a discovery scientists say could open a new chapter in Earth 's early history.Researchers have determined that a section of the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, a rocky formation in northern Quebec, is at least 4.16 billion years old. That pushes the timeline of Earth's known crust further back than ever before, into the mysterious Hadean eon, a time when Earth was a fiery, molten world.The Acasta Gneiss Complex, located along a riverbank about 200 miles (300 kilometers) north of Yellowknife in northwestern Canada, is widely recognized as the oldest confirmed geological formation on Earth.'Rocks are books for geologists,' said Dr. Jonathan O'Neil, the University of Ottawa geologist behind the study. 'Right now, we're missing the book on the Hadean. The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt would be at least one page of that book.'The findings, published in the journal Science, are the most robust evidence yet that remnants of Earth's earliest crust still survive. Previous estimates for the belt's age ranged widely, from 3.75 billion to 4.3 billion years, but this study employed a rare earth element technique to achieve greater precision.Because the rocks don't contain the mineral zircon, the standard 'clock' for dating ancient rocks, O'Neil's team used samarium-neodymium dating, which relies on isotopes that only formed in the planet's earliest days. The results from two separate isotopic "clocks" both pointed to 4.16 billion years.For perspective, that's just 400 million years after Earth itself formed when the surface was barely solid and life was still a possibility, not a certainty.'This is as close as we get to Earth's birth certificate,' said Dr. Jesse Reimink of Penn State University , who was not involved in the study.However, some experts remain cautious. Dr. Hugo Olierook of Curtin University in Australia said the technique has limitations and could be influenced by later geological changes. 'It only takes one altered mineral to reset the age,' he warned.Beyond the science, the rocks have cultural weight. The land belongs to Inuit communities, who are calling for more protection after some samples were damaged or taken without consent.'We understand the rocks are important, but so is respect for our land,' said Tommy Palliser of the Pituvik Landholding Corporation.Still, the discovery may help answer some of the oldest questions humans have ever asked, about our planet's first days and perhaps even the origins of life itself.
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Economic Times
14 hours ago
- Economic Times
Scientists identify 4.16-billion-year-old rock in Canada, possibly Earth's earliest crust
Scientists have identified a 4.16-billion-year-old rock formation in northern Quebec, potentially the oldest known fragment of Earth's crust. This discovery pushes back the timeline of Earth's known crust into the Hadean eon, offering a glimpse into the planet's fiery beginnings. While some experts remain cautious about the dating technique, the find holds cultural significance for Inuit communities. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Hadean eon era Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Cultural relevance An isolated and wind-blasted stretch of Canada's Hudson Bay shoreline may hold the oldest surviving fragment of our planet's crust, a discovery scientists say could open a new chapter in Earth 's early have determined that a section of the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, a rocky formation in northern Quebec, is at least 4.16 billion years old. That pushes the timeline of Earth's known crust further back than ever before, into the mysterious Hadean eon, a time when Earth was a fiery, molten Acasta Gneiss Complex, located along a riverbank about 200 miles (300 kilometers) north of Yellowknife in northwestern Canada, is widely recognized as the oldest confirmed geological formation on Earth.'Rocks are books for geologists,' said Dr. Jonathan O'Neil, the University of Ottawa geologist behind the study. 'Right now, we're missing the book on the Hadean. The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt would be at least one page of that book.'The findings, published in the journal Science, are the most robust evidence yet that remnants of Earth's earliest crust still survive. Previous estimates for the belt's age ranged widely, from 3.75 billion to 4.3 billion years, but this study employed a rare earth element technique to achieve greater the rocks don't contain the mineral zircon, the standard 'clock' for dating ancient rocks, O'Neil's team used samarium-neodymium dating, which relies on isotopes that only formed in the planet's earliest days. The results from two separate isotopic "clocks" both pointed to 4.16 billion perspective, that's just 400 million years after Earth itself formed when the surface was barely solid and life was still a possibility, not a certainty.'This is as close as we get to Earth's birth certificate,' said Dr. Jesse Reimink of Penn State University , who was not involved in the some experts remain cautious. Dr. Hugo Olierook of Curtin University in Australia said the technique has limitations and could be influenced by later geological changes. 'It only takes one altered mineral to reset the age,' he the science, the rocks have cultural weight. The land belongs to Inuit communities, who are calling for more protection after some samples were damaged or taken without consent.'We understand the rocks are important, but so is respect for our land,' said Tommy Palliser of the Pituvik Landholding the discovery may help answer some of the oldest questions humans have ever asked, about our planet's first days and perhaps even the origins of life itself.
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Time of India
Scientists identify 4.16-billion-year-old rock in Canada, possibly Earth's earliest crust
An isolated and wind-blasted stretch of Canada's Hudson Bay shoreline may hold the oldest surviving fragment of our planet's crust, a discovery scientists say could open a new chapter in Earth 's early history. Hadean eon era Researchers have determined that a section of the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, a rocky formation in northern Quebec, is at least 4.16 billion years old. That pushes the timeline of Earth's known crust further back than ever before, into the mysterious Hadean eon, a time when Earth was a fiery, molten world. The Acasta Gneiss Complex, located along a riverbank about 200 miles (300 kilometers) north of Yellowknife in northwestern Canada, is widely recognized as the oldest confirmed geological formation on Earth. 'Rocks are books for geologists,' said Dr. Jonathan O'Neil, the University of Ottawa geologist behind the study. 'Right now, we're missing the book on the Hadean. The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt would be at least one page of that book.' Live Events The findings, published in the journal Science , are the most robust evidence yet that remnants of Earth's earliest crust still survive. Previous estimates for the belt's age ranged widely, from 3.75 billion to 4.3 billion years, but this study employed a rare earth element technique to achieve greater precision. Because the rocks don't contain the mineral zircon, the standard 'clock' for dating ancient rocks, O'Neil's team used samarium-neodymium dating, which relies on isotopes that only formed in the planet's earliest days. The results from two separate isotopic "clocks" both pointed to 4.16 billion years. For perspective, that's just 400 million years after Earth itself formed when the surface was barely solid and life was still a possibility, not a certainty. 'This is as close as we get to Earth's birth certificate,' said Dr. Jesse Reimink of Penn State University , who was not involved in the study. However, some experts remain cautious. Dr. Hugo Olierook of Curtin University in Australia said the technique has limitations and could be influenced by later geological changes. 'It only takes one altered mineral to reset the age,' he warned. Cultural relevance Beyond the science, the rocks have cultural weight. The land belongs to Inuit communities, who are calling for more protection after some samples were damaged or taken without consent. 'We understand the rocks are important, but so is respect for our land,' said Tommy Palliser of the Pituvik Landholding Corporation. Still, the discovery may help answer some of the oldest questions humans have ever asked, about our planet's first days and perhaps even the origins of life itself.
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
These Canadian rocks may be 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 old they are. Work from two decades ago suggested the rocks could be 4.3 billion years old, placing them in the earliest period of Earth's history. But other scientists using a different dating method contested the finding, arguing that long-ago contaminants were skewing the rocks' age and that they were actually slightly younger at 3.8 billion years old. In the new study, researchers sampled a different section of rock from the belt and estimated its age using the previous two dating techniques — measuring how one radioactive element decays into another over time. The result: The rocks were about 4.16 billion years old. The different methods "gave exactly the same age,' said study author Jonathan O'Neil with the University of Ottawa. The new research was published Thursday in the journal Science. Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago from a collapsing cloud of dust and gas soon after the solar system existed. Primordial rocks often get melted and recycled by Earth's moving tectonic plates, making them extremely rare on the surface today. Scientists have uncovered 4 billion-year-old rocks from another formation in Canada called the Acasta Gneiss Complex, but the Nuvvuagittuq rocks could be even older. Studying rocks from Earth's earliest history could give a glimpse into how the planet may have looked — how its roiling magma oceans gave way to tectonic plates — and even how life got started. 'To have a sample of what was going on on Earth way back then is really valuable,' said Mark Reagan with the University of Iowa, who studies volcanic rocks and lava and was not involved with the new study. The rock formation is on tribal Inukjuak lands and the local Inuit community has temporarily restricted scientists from taking samples from the site due to damage from previous visits. After some geologists visited the site, large chunks of rock were missing and the community noticed pieces for sale online, said Tommy Palliser, who manages the land with the Pituvik Landholding Corp. The Inuit community wants to work with scientists to set up a provincial park that would protect the land while allowing researchers to study it. 'There's a lot of interest for these rocks, which we understand,' said Palliser, a member of the community. 'We just don't want any more damage.'
