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Oldest Earth Rocks Discovered: 4.16 Billion Years Unveiled

6/29/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt in Quebec has been unveiled as home to the oldest rocks on Earth, dating back an astonishing 4.16 billion years. This groundbreaking discovery, detailed in *Science*, sheds light on our planet's formative years and the conditions that may have nurtured early life, with age confirmed through two independent isotopic dating techniques.

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Story summary

The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt in Quebec has been unveiled as home to the oldest rocks on Earth, dating back an astonishing 4.16 billion years. This groundbreaking discovery, detailed in *Science*, sheds light on our planet's formative years and the conditions that may have nurtured early life, with age confirmed through two independent isotopic dating techniques.