These can be the oldest rocks on Earth
/ AP
Scientists have identified what the oldest rocks of the land of rock formation in Canada could be.
The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone belt has been known for its old rocks: scratched gray stone plains on the east coast of Hudson Bay in Quebec. But researchers do not agree on how many years are they.
The dispute was apparently resolved
The work of two decades ago suggested that the rocks could be 4.3 billion years, placing them in the first period in the history of the earth. But other scientists who use a different appointment method played the finding, arguing that the pollutants for a long time were biased the age of the rocks and that they were actually a little younger, at 3.8 billion years.
In the new study, the researchers tested a different section of belt rock and estimated their age using the two previous dating techniques, which measure how a radioactive element decomposes in another over time. The result: the rocks were approximately 4.16 billion years.
The different methods “gave exactly the same age,” said study author Jonathan O’Neil of the University of Ottawa.
New research was published Thursday in Science magazine.
Ancient rocks could shed light in the early days of the earth
The land formed about 4.5 billion years ago from a collapse cloud of dust and gas shortly after the solar system. Primordial rocks often melt and recycled by the motion tectonic plates of the Earth, which makes them extremely rare on the surface today. Scientists have discovered rocks of 4 billion years of another training in Canada called the Acasta Gneiss complex, but Nuvvuagittuq rocks could be even greater.
Studying rocks from the earliest history of the Earth could give an idea of how the planet could have looked, how its rolled magma oceans gave way to tectonic plates, and even how life began.
“Having a sample of what was happening on Earth at that time is really valuable,” said Mark Reagan of the University of Iowa, who studies volcanic rocks and lava and did not participate in the new study.
The Inuit community wants steps to prevent the rocks from exploding
The rock formation is found in Inukjuak’s tribal lands and the Inuit local community has temporarily restricted scientists to take samples from the site due to the damage of previous visits.
After some geologists visited the site, large pieces of rock were missing and the community noticed pieces for online sale, said Tommy Palliser, who manages the land with the Landholding Corp.
“There is a lot of interest in these rocks, which we understand,” said Palliser, a member of the community. “We just don’t want more damage.”
- Canada