0
Currently the oldest insitu rock layers of terrestrial origin were discovered by Dr. Jonathan O'Neil and his colleagues, whose work published in September of 2008, revealed rocks as old as 4.28 billion years of age in Northern Quebec, along the Hudson's Bay coast, 40 km south of Inukjuak. This area is known as the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt. They were dated by measuring the decay of the element neodymium-142 which was present in the rock.
However this is either the oldest rock material of Earth origin or the oldest rock material found on Earth.
For further information, please see the related links below.
For information on the oldest material of terrestrial origin and the oldest material found on Earth please see the related questions.
Chaz Stroman
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Why must the earth be older than its oldest rocks?
Two points here: rocks are solidified material--early Earth was molten. The first rocks appeared after the molten Earth cooled somewhat. Secondly, Earth's rocks are constantly being recycled through the 'rock cycle'. The oldest rocks on Earth have somehow survived those recycling efforts, but no rock found on Earth (other than some meteorites) is as old as the planet.
What is the oldest known mineral on earth?
The oldest terrestrial material discovered on Earth to date is a zircon crystal found in Western Australia within a metamorphic gneiss which was part of the Narryer Gneiss Terrane. It has been dated at 4.404 Ga (4.404 billion years old). Please see the related link for more information. For information on the oldest rock on Earth, and the oldest rock mass of terrestrial origin, please see the related question.
Where are the oldest fossils found in the earth and rock strata?
Acasta Gneiss, NW Canada--over 4 billion years old. Isua Supracrustal, W Greenland--3.8 billion years old. The oldest rocks on Earth are located in the Jack Hills of Australia. They are 4.4 billion years old!
What layer of a rock in a mountain is the oldest?
at the bottom
How would you know which is the oldest layer in a rock?
You would know because the youngest rock layer is always on the top, and the oldest is always at the bottom of the canyon.
What is the oldest rock in earth?
Igneous Rock
Is granite the oldest rock in the world?
Granite is not the oldest rock in the world. The oldest rocks on earth are gneiss, particularly the Acasta Gneiss and are about 4. 09 billion years old.
Crystals in rock thought to be part of the oldest crust on earth?
They are zircon crystals.
In what country are the oldest rocks on Earth?
The oldest in-situ rock found on Earth to date was found in Northern Quebec in Canada and is dated as 4.28 billion years of age.
Are the oldest rocks on Earth in the Grand Canyon?
Not hardly. The oldest rocks at the bottom of the Grand Canyon are around 2 billion years old. The oldest rock discovered on Earth of terrestrial origin is around 4.28 billion years old.
The oldest rock is what kind of rock?
what kind of rock is the oldest rock
Why are the oldest rocks found on earth younger than the oldest lunar rock that Apollo brought back?
The Earth has lots of tectonic activity, by which I mean earthquakes and volcanoes, which the moon does not have. Rocks can survive longer on the moon.
How old is the oldest rock?
The oldest rock of terrestrial origin (i.e. the whole rock was formed here on Earth at the same time) is the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone in Canada. It has been dates as 4.28 billion years old. The oldest single thing yet found that is known to have been formed on Earth is a zircon crystal which was located in Western Australia within a metamorphic gneiss which was part of the Narryer Gneiss Terrane. It has been dated at 4.404 Ga (4.404 billion years old) however the rock it is in is younger than this. The oldest rock ever found on Earth is actually a meteorite so was not formed here. It is estimated to have an age of around 4.56 billion years so is roughly the same age as the Earth.
Which layer of rock is the oldest?
The basement is a term sometimes used, and Cratonis another used in a continental context.The Principle of Superposition has it that in a given formation, the top layers are the youngest, and the deeper layers the oldest.
Why must the earth be older than its oldest rocks?
Two points here: rocks are solidified material--early Earth was molten. The first rocks appeared after the molten Earth cooled somewhat. Secondly, Earth's rocks are constantly being recycled through the 'rock cycle'. The oldest rocks on Earth have somehow survived those recycling efforts, but no rock found on Earth (other than some meteorites) is as old as the planet.
Some of the oldest rocks ever found have been estimated to be about 3.5 billion years old. Is it likely that these rocks were present when Earth was first formed?
No, rock material is constantly recycled on Earth as rock is melted into magma.
Radioisotope dating of moon rocks showed that the age of the oldest lunar rock was closest to how many years old?
Rocks from the moon have been dated to about 4.5 billion years old. The oldest earth rocks don't date that far back because the earth "reprocesses" rock, and the oldest rocks we know of on earth date back to about 3.7 to 3.8 billion years. The earth and moon formed at approximately the same time, as did the rest of the solar system.
