The oldest rock on Earth is confirmed in the Canadian Arctic

Scientists have confirmed that the rocks in northern Quebec are the oldest rock on Earth, dating back to 4.16 billion years, when our planet was still a chaotic hell landscape of volcanics.

This discovery places these ancient stones in Hadean Eon (Earth’s earliest chapter), the only surviving witness, a condition for existence in the first 500 million years of planetary history.

Confirmed from a team led by University of Ottawa researcher Jonathan O’Neil, who spent years analyzing the mysterious rocks at the Nuvvuagittuq belt near Inukjuak in Nunavik. What makes this discovery particularly striking is that the researchers used two separate dating methods, both pointing to the same ancient times, providing considerable evidence for rocks that predate the complex lifespan of billions of years.

Geological time machine

These are not just any old rocks. The Nuvvuagittuq belt represents what scientists think is the remnant of the ancient ocean shell, a material formed when it cools down from its violent birth. Most of the rocks from this primitive period have long been recovered through geological processes, making Canada’s discovery extraordinary.

“This confirmation positioned the Nuvvuagittuq belt as the only place on Earth where rocks formed during Hadean Eon were found,” explains O’Neil.

The team analyzed invasive rocks from volcanic formations that cut the belt. By determining that these invasions are 4.16 billion years old, they prove that the volcanic rocks they penetrate must be older and can recover for 4.3 billion years.

Major scientific discoveries:

• Using two independent isotope methods, the date of invasive rocks reached exactly 4.16 billion years.
• The volcanic rocks they penetrate must be older, probably 4.3 billion years old
• Although different isotopes are used
• The chemical characteristics displayed by the rock are consistent with the formation of the Earth’s original mantle

Breakthroughs require the combination of petrosology and geochemistry with radiation dating using samarium and Neododymium isotopes, which function like atomic clocks, recording precise moment rocks crystallized from molten magma. The fact that two different isotope systems simultaneously agree on the rocks provides exceptionally strong evidence for ancient times.

For 15 years, the scientific community has been debating whether these Quebec rocks can truly continue to Hadean Eon. Previous research shows that the age is about 4.3 billion years, but skeptics believe that the evidence is not conclusive. The study appears to resolve this debate by focusing on invasive rocks with a clearer crystallization history.

Window to the original earth

What did the Earth look like 4.16 billion years ago? The Earth is a completely different world – there is no oxygen in the atmosphere, no continents as we know it, and of course no life. The surface is dominated by the solar system’s remaining space debris bombardment of volcanic activity and bombardment.

“Understanding these rocks can be traced back to the origins of our planet,” O’Neill noted. “This allows us to better understand how the First Continent was formed and rebuild the environment from which life can emerge.”

The study shows that these ancient rocks are formed from mantle materials with nearly dominant components similar to the original components that formed the Earth itself. This suggests that the Earth was the earliest crust formed through a relatively simple melting process, rather than the exotic mechanism proposed by some theories.

The meaning of the discovery goes beyond pure geology. By preserving snapshots of the formation of Earth’s earliest crust, these rocks provide clues about how the planet transitions from a melting ball to a world that can hide oceans and eventually live. The study, published in *Science*, opened what researchers call “the rare window to enter the earth”.

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