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The Oldest Rocks on Earth Are in Canada, and They’re 4.16 Billion Years Old

Discover how scientists found and dated the oldest rocks on the planet, and why studying them can help explain how life on Earth first began.

Stephanie Edwards
ByStephanie Edwards
Image Credit: Danita Delimont/Shutterstock

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Canada is the land of hockey, maple syrup, and a tendency to end every sentence with the word “eh” – it’s also home to the oldest rocks on Earth.

A new study, published in Science, confirmed that the oldest rocks on Earth are located in the Canadian province of Quebec as part of the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt. The rocks, dated to 4.16 billion years ago, were formed during the Hadean Eon, the oldest geologic eon in Earth’s history.

“This confirmation positions the Nuvvuagittuq Belt as the only place on Earth where we find rocks formed during the Hadean eon, that is, the first 500 million years of our planet’s history,” said Jonathan O’Neil, an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Ottawa, in a press release.

Read More: The Hidden Layers of Earth and Tectonic Plate Movements

“This confirmation positions the Nuvvuagittuq Belt ...

  • Stephanie Edwards

    Stephanie Edwards

    Stephanie Edwards is the marketing coordinator at Discover Magazine, who manages all social media platforms and writes digital articles that focus on archaeology, the environment, and public health.

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