Earth formed about 4.6 billion years ago, during the geological eon known as the Hadean. The name "Hadean" comes from the ...

The oldest terrestrial materials ever dated by scientists are extremely rare zircon minerals that were discovered in western ...

The Hadean Eon, Earth's first geological period, remains shrouded in mystery due to scarce rock records. However, Québec's ...

Scientists agreed the rocky outcrops in a remote part of Quebec, Canada, were ancient. But were they really Earth’s oldest?

In 2008 scientists reported that rocks in Canada were the world’s oldest. New data appear to confirm this contested claim ...

A few grains of zircon discovered in sandstone rock in Western Australia in the 1990s dated back between 4.2billion and 4.3billion years, so the 'new' crystal is at least 100,000 years older.

The oldest zircons ever discovered came from this rock. Ackerson once found a zircon that's 4.32 billion years old. Zircons that old "are extremely, extremely, extremely rare, ...

By zapping single atoms of lead in a tiny zircon crystal from Australia, researchers have confirmed the crystal is the oldest rock fragment ever found on Earth — 4.375 billion years old, plus or ...

The rare mineral reidite was discovered in Wisconsin's Rock Elm Crater. (Image credit: Aaron Cavosie) Zircon morphs into reidite when shock waves from meteorite impacts hike up pressures and ...

In this element map of the martian meteorite NWA 7034 different colours correspond to different rock and mineral fragments. Author provided. Tiny grains of the mineral zircon occur in NWA 7034.

In a recent study, geologists say Michigan is home to the oldest known rock in the nation. Watersmeet gneiss is found in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Minnesota's Morton gneiss previously held the ...

We are part of a research team that has confirmed the oldest known rocks on Earth are located in northern Québec.__ ...