Canadian Geologists Discover World's Oldest Rocks

Science - Reuters ^ | 12/3/02

[Junior]

MONTREAL (Reuters) - A team of Canadian geologists said on Tuesday they had found rocks dating back nearly 4 billion years, which could help scientists better understand Earth's early development and the very beginnings of life.

The scientists said the volcanic and sedimentary rocks were 3.825 billion years old and came from the Inukjuak area in the northern reaches of the province of Quebec, on Hudson Bay.

The geologists from the University of Quebec in Montreal, working in association with Quebec's Natural Resources Department and Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, said the discovery would help give scientists a clearer picture of the planet's first billion years of evolution.

The Earth is 4.6 billion years according to current estimates.

The scientists said the story of the planet's first billion years was still largely unknown, with little information available on a period that saw the formation of the moon and the first traces of life, such as bacteria in the ocean.

"This is a capital period of our evolution that however remains a great mystery, since geological traces that are preserved are not much available before 3.6 billion years," the University of Quebec said in a statement.

The oldest volcanic rocks found to date came from Isua in Greenland, and date back 3.80 billion years.

 

 

 

[Junior]

Ping

[Hanging Chad]

I wonder what's underneath? - More rocks ??

[inkling]

Canadian Geologists Discover World's Oldest Rocks

...and they're located in Jean Chretien's head.

[onedoug]

Remember Matthew Harrison Brady's (Frederic March) classic line from Inherit The Wind?

"I'm more interested in The Rock of Ages than I am in the age of rocks."

[Molly Pitcher]

FYI

[crypt2k]

By comparison, the oldest seafloor rock
is on the order of 250 million years old
(because the ocean floor is recycled).

Much of western California is only about
200 million years old. The San Andreas
fault area used to be a subduction zone,
with active volcanoes along the Pacific
Coast. Now it's a strike-slip fault.
Lots of rocks where I live (Riverside county)
are made from volcanic ash sediments.

[litehaus]

"The San Andreas fault area used to be a subduction zone,"

SUBDUCTION ZONE??? Hope Bill Clinton doesn't hear bout this one! LOL...;>)

[crypt2k]

Coastal Oregon and Washington states is
a subduction zone area, complete with large
volcanoes.

[crypt2k]

[crypt2k]

[scripter]

Ping

[flying Elvis]

Looks like a Georgia sex stone to me.

[Miss Marple]

I think you need to explain the cross-section of the subduction zone, to those who are not familiar with sea-floor spreading and the subduction zones around continents.

Good diagram and map, by the way.

[PatrickHenry]

You know these rocks are bogus. Just Satan's way of playing tricks. Keep the faith.
</creationism mode>

[Junior]

Oh that kidder!

[Jeans999999]

It must be nice to just deny any sort of evidence with one word "satan". This way we would never get to use our brains and everything would be sooo simple...