Oldest rocks — Science NewsJuly 21, 1973
Greenland had the oldest rocks known in the world until recently. They The oldest fossils date back 3.7 Billion Years (SN: 12/9/72, p. 374). Now granite and crystalline schist specimens … suggest that the Antarctic Continent is older. These specimens have a 4 billion-year age.
Update:
The bedrock of the Northeastern Canada region is approximately 4.3 billion years. The oldest rock known on Earth (SN: 4/15/17, p. 8). Scientists in Western Australia have found zircon crystalline bedrock dating back as far as 4.4 billion years. Earth is only 4.5 billion year old.
They have been the source of ongoing debates because they contain information about Earth’s early history. how Earth’s crust formedWhen plate tectonics startedEven though When the first life appeared on our planet (SN: 2/23/14; SN: 5/2/22; SN: 10/19/15). The moon may hold additional clues to help resolve these debates. Apollo 14 astronauts collected samples from the moon. 4-billion-year-old zirconsScientists reported in 2019 that the Earth meteor may have delivered it.
