There is a piece of Earth's crust the size of Ireland underneath Western Australia.
The oldest piece of crust on the planet is this one. The eastern shore of the Hudson Bay is home to the Canadian Shield, which is 4.3 billion years old. The planet is 4.5 billion years old. Most of the planet's rocky surface was formed within the last billion years because Earth's crust is being churned up and pushed back into the mantle.
The chunk in Western Australia is believed to be around 4 billion years old. That suggests something special happened in that era of Earth history, according to the study's co-author.
Many regions around the world experienced the same timing of early crust formation and preservation. The evolution of the Earth is thought to have changed four billion years ago as meteorite bombardment waned and life on Earth began.
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During a growth spurt 3 billion years ago, the outer shell of Earth ballooned.
Near where the oldest minerals have been found, there is a piece of ancient crust. In Australia's Jack Hills, researchers have discovered tiny minerals. Even though the rocks that once held them have eroded, these minerals are still alive. Some of the rocks around the Jack Hills are over 3 billion years old.
There may be an older crust buried under newer rocks near this region. The Scott Coastal Plain is located south of Perth. This plain is on the Australian continent.
The researchers analyzed the composition of two pairs of radioactive elements that the lasers had freed after they vaporized the Zircons. These elements are trapped in zircons and decay over time. A "clock" on the age of the zircons is provided by the relative amount of each version.
The minerals were formed between 3.8 billion and 4 billion years ago.
The researchers looked at the data collected by satellites to find out where the minerals came from. gravity varies slightly across the surface of the planet because it varies in thickness Scientists can figure out the thickness of the crust by measuring the variations in gravity. There is a thick segment of crust in the southwestern part of Western Australia.
The researchers wrote in their paper that the old crust covers at least 38,610 square miles. It is buried a long time below the surface. The researchers found that the boundary of the ancient crust was associated with gold and iron Ore deposits in the area.
Understanding the formation of crust 4 billion years ago can help researchers understand how the continents began. Few clues of the earliest Earth have survived the constant upheaval of the planet's surface.
There have been mountain-building events between Australia and India.
It was originally published on Live Science
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