Canada, Australia and Greenland have been the top contenders for being home to the Earth’s oldest geological specimens:
Greenland: Oldest fossils found in rock, Iusa Specimens, 3.7 billion years old
Australia: Oldest minerals, Jack Hills Zircon, 4.36 billion years old
Canada: Oldest rock, Canadian Shield, 4.3 billion years old
That’s right, geologists, Canada is home to the world’s oldest discovered rocks!
The Original Crust
When the Earth was formed about 4.6 billion years ago, the molten rock on the surface hardened to form a solid crust. This crust is being constantly consumed and created through a recycling process, fueled by the convection current of the liquid mantle below the surface.
This recycling means that a vast majority of the earth’s original crust has been pushed deep beneath the crust, far from the grasp of geologists. The oldest crust that exists today is in the Canadian Shield and was thought to be formed about 2.7 billion years ago, until a recent discovery.
Greenland: Oldest fossils found in rock, Iusa Specimens, 3.7 billion years old
Australia: Oldest minerals, Jack Hills Zircon, 4.36 billion years old
Canada: Oldest rock, Canadian Shield, 4.3 billion years old
That’s right, geologists, Canada is home to the world’s oldest discovered rocks!
The Original Crust
When the Earth was formed about 4.6 billion years ago, the molten rock on the surface hardened to form a solid crust. This crust is being constantly consumed and created through a recycling process, fueled by the convection current of the liquid mantle below the surface.
This recycling means that a vast majority of the earth’s original crust has been pushed deep beneath the crust, far from the grasp of geologists. The oldest crust that exists today is in the Canadian Shield and was thought to be formed about 2.7 billion years ago, until a recent discovery.
Comments