Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt in Canada, where rocks dated back an astonishing 4.16 billion years have been found. This age is remarkably close to the estimated age of the planet itself, at 4.54 billion years.
Geoscientists have long believed that this region was a key site for studying Earth’s early days, and new dating analysis has confirmed their suspicions. The findings suggest that the rocks in question represent some of the oldest minerals ever found on our planet’s surface, providing invaluable insights into its infancy.
The discovery has significant implications beyond our own planet. Since we know for certain that life exists only on Earth, understanding how our world formed and evolved can help us better comprehend how to find similar planets elsewhere in the galaxy.
Led by Christian Sole of the University of Ottawa, a team of researchers used a new approach to date the rocks. They focused on large inclusions of metagabbro, a type of rock that provides a minimum age for the surrounding basalt matrix. The results, obtained through both lead-uranium and samarium-neodymium dating, confirmed the incredible age of 4.16 billion years.
This breakthrough opens up exciting avenues for further research into Earth’s earliest days, allowing scientists to better understand how the first continents were formed and reconstructing the environment from which life could have emerged.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/4-billion-year-old-stripey-rocks-in-canada-may-be-the-oldest-on-earth