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4.4 Billion Year Old Rock
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57619418-1/4.4-billion-year-old-crystal-points-to-chill-early-earth/4.4 billion-year-old crystal points to chill early Earth
A pretty bit of blue zircon dating back billions of years to the formation of the Earth's crust may be one of the oldest pieces of the planet.
Amanda Kooser
by Amanda Kooser
February 24, 2014 11:30 AM PST
A tiny piece of crystal found on a sheep farm in Australia is giving researchers insight into the very early formation of the Earth and its crust. The microscopic zircon crystal under study is said to be made of the oldest known material formed on Earth, dating from soon after the molten rock that originally formed the planet had cooled.
The discovery helps to push the clock back on the formation of oceans and early life. "This confirms our view of how the Earth cooled and became habitable. This may also help us understand how other habitable planets would form," says lead researcher John Valley, a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
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What this boils down to is that the early Earth may not have been as harsh an environment as some scientists believe. Considering that our planet formed 4.5 billion years ago, it only took about 100 million years for the formation of the crust, with oceans coming shortly thereafter. That may well mean the ingredients for life were in place earlier than thought. That's a lot of information to come out of one pretty little shard of gemstone.
A pretty bit of blue zircon dating back billions of years to the formation of the Earth's crust may be one of the oldest pieces of the planet.
Amanda Kooser
by Amanda Kooser
February 24, 2014 11:30 AM PST
A tiny piece of crystal found on a sheep farm in Australia is giving researchers insight into the very early formation of the Earth and its crust. The microscopic zircon crystal under study is said to be made of the oldest known material formed on Earth, dating from soon after the molten rock that originally formed the planet had cooled.
The discovery helps to push the clock back on the formation of oceans and early life. "This confirms our view of how the Earth cooled and became habitable. This may also help us understand how other habitable planets would form," says lead researcher John Valley, a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
------
What this boils down to is that the early Earth may not have been as harsh an environment as some scientists believe. Considering that our planet formed 4.5 billion years ago, it only took about 100 million years for the formation of the crust, with oceans coming shortly thereafter. That may well mean the ingredients for life were in place earlier than thought. That's a lot of information to come out of one pretty little shard of gemstone.
