Oldest Rocks

The oldest terranes, with ages ranging from 3.8 Ga to 4.0 Ga, have been identified in Canada, while Australian zircon crystals dated at 4.4 Ga represent the oldest dated minerals on Earth. The exceptional resistance of zircon grains to repeated geological cycles has allowed dating 3.3–3.9 Ga crystals in several Archean cratons worldwide.

via 3.8 Ga zircons sampled by Neogene ignimbrite eruptions in Central Anatolia.


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