GENERAL GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Part of Hall of Planet Earth. This quartz pebble conglomerate formed three billion years ago, but the zircon crystals in it are up to 4.276 billion years old, making them the oldest dated material on Earth.

Detailed explanation-2: -The oldest of the zircons in the study, which came from the Jack Hills of Western Australia, were around 4.3 billion years old-which means these nearly indestructible minerals formed when the Earth itself was in its infancy, only roughly 200 million years old.

Detailed explanation-3: -Zircon crystals are almost indestructible; some still around today are nearly 4.4 billion years old. They’re like tiny time capsules that retain the chemical fingerprints of this extremely early time.

Detailed explanation-4: -Zircons, the oldest minerals on Earth, preserve robust records of chemical and isotopic characteristics of the rocks in which they form.