World’s oldest rocks

Scientists have identified what could be the oldest rocks on the earth from a rock formation in Canada.

Key Highlights

Location: Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, eastern shore of Hudson Bay in Quebec, Canada.

Previous Age Estimates:

• Initially suggested to be 4.3 billion years old (two decades ago).
• Contested by other scientists, who estimated them to be 3.8 billion years old, citing contaminants skewing results.

New Study’s Findings:

• Researchers sampled a different section of rock from the belt.
• Used two previous dating techniques (measuring radioactive element decay).
• Estimated the rocks to be approximately 4.16 billion years old.

Publication: The new research was published on June 26 in the journal Science.

Earth’s Formation: Earth formed around 4.5 billion years ago.

Rarity of Primordial Rocks: Primordial rocks are rare on Earth’s surface due to melting and recycling by tectonic plates.

Other Ancient Rock Formations: The Acasta Gneiss Complex (another Canadian formation) contains rocks estimated to be 4 billion years old, but the Nuvvuagittuq rocks could be even older.

Local Restrictions: The rock formation is on tribal Inukjuak lands, and the local Inuit community has temporarily restricted scientists from taking samples due to damage from prior visits.