4.4 Billion Year Old Piece of Earth's Crust, Oldest Yet, Found

[Rhykker]

4.4 Billion Year Old Piece of Earth's Crust, Oldest Yet, Found

Scientists have analyzed a zircon crystal taken from Australia's Jack Hills region and determined it is approximately 4.4 billion years old, making it the oldest known piece of Earth's crust.


At 4.375 billion years old, give or take six million years, a zircon crystal from Australia's Jack Hills has been found to be the oldest piece of Earth's crust discovered yet. The scientists that dated the ancient crystal have also used a technique that they hope will put an end to the long-running debate over the accuracy of dating these minerals.

"We've proved that the chemical record inside these zircons is trustworthy," said John Valley, lead study author and a geochemist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The findings were published yesterday in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Studying these ancient zircons is important to understanding early Earth, because inclusions within them tell us about the conditions of their environment during their formation. Earth is 4.54 billion years old, and zircons from Australia's Jack Hills region range from 3 billion to 4.4 billion years in age. However, the age of these ancient crystals has always been suspect due to the radiation damage that can occur during natural processes. Valley and his co-authors used a recently developed technique called atom-probe tomography to prove that the radiation damage to their analyzed zircon crystal does not render their dating inaccurate.

"We've demonstrated this zircon is a closed geochemical system, and we've never been able to do that before," Valley said. "There's no question that many zircons do suffer radiation damage, but I think relative to these zircons, this should settle it once and for all," Valley told Live Science's Our Amazing Planet.

Source: Fox News [http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/02/24/confirmed-oldest-fragment-early-earth-is-44-billion-years-old/]
Image source: Wikimedia Commons [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zircon1.JPG]

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[Sofus]

Awesome Now in order to truly celebrate this, I think we should place the crstal in a booby-trapped satellite and send it into outer space (along with a copy of the internet) or we could strap it on a rocket and launch it at the sun.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I love the fact that Fox News is the source of this story. The absurdly obnoxious Jesus Freaks reporting that something is older than 6000 years.

 

[Skeleon]

It's not like this is going to convince anybody who doesn't want to hear it because of their preconceived notions, so the scientist quoted there seems rather too optimistic to me. Very pretty picture, though!

 

[Vegosiux]

Wait, Fox News reported that something is more than 6000 years old? Color me surprised and shiver me timbers. And now I need to go read up on how atom-probe tomography works, so 'scuse me.

 

[CriticalMiss]

Have the scientists tried putting that crystal on the end of an arrow and trying to put out torches with it? It looks like a water arrow from Thief.

I love the fact that Fox News is the source of this story. The absurdly obnoxious Jesus Freaks reporting that something is older than 6000 years.

And yet somehow I don't think any of their viewers will believe it. It's not in the bible after all!

 

[an annoyed writer]

I love the fact that Fox News is the source of this story. The absurdly obnoxious Jesus Freaks reporting that something is older than 6000 years.

Aww I was just about to post that! But totally, it's irony in a nutshell, ladies and gents! I'm unsurprised about the person leading the study being from UW Madison, however. That's where most of the smarter people in this fucking state wind up.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

The Earth's got some damn pretty baby teeth, doesn't it?

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

Nobody tell Ken Ham. He may cry in a corner with a bible to collect his tears as a tithe to the 6000 year old Earth.

 

[BloodRed Pixel]

Dear Escpaist,
you are actually aware you are quoting FOX NEWS, right?

How much lower can you get?

 

[Reed Spacer]

4.4 billion years old

That's some pretty crusty crust.

...
...
...
I'll see myself out.

 

[McMullen]

It's not like this is going to convince anybody who doesn't want to hear it because of their preconceived notions, so the scientist quoted there seems rather too optimistic to me. Very pretty picture, though!

I don't think Valley's comments are meant for Young Earthers, but for his colleagues who question the accuracy of the dates. They would have no doubt that the earth itself is around 4.5-4.3 billion years old, but they are skeptical that the age of the zircons are correct.

Most of the geologists I know never really talk about Young Earthers while discussing their work. I'd imagine they've decided that it's a waste of time to edify or even address the arguments of people who can't be bothered to learn what the theories they're dismissing actually are. They're probably right; I've changed Young Earther's minds about the age of the earth before, but I had to basically do the job that their biology, geology, and physics professors failed to do. It's just not a worthwhile use of time. Really what we need to do is have teachers that actually do their jobs. If one in four Americans aren't aware the earth orbits the sun, as a recent survey showed, then our teachers are not doing their jobs.

 

[Rhykker]

It's not like this is going to convince anybody who doesn't want to hear it because of their preconceived notions, so the scientist quoted there seems rather too optimistic to me. Very pretty picture, though!

I don't think Valley's comments are meant for Young Earthers, but for his colleagues who question the accuracy of the dates. They would have no doubt that the earth itself is around 4.5-4.3 billion years old, but they are skeptical that the age of the zircons are correct.

Most of the geologists I know never really talk about Young Earthers while discussing their work. I'd imagine they've decided that it's a waste of time to edify or even address the arguments of people who can't be bothered to learn what the theories they're dismissing actually are. They're probably right; I've changed Young Earther's minds about the age of the earth before, but I had to basically do the job that their biology, geology, and physics professors failed to do. It's just not a worthwhile use of time. Really what we need to do is have teachers that actually do their jobs. If one in four Americans aren't aware the earth orbits the sun, as a recent survey showed, then our teachers are not doing their jobs.

You are correct. They're not saying, "this is proof that Earth is more than 6000 years old." They're saying, "this is proof that this is the oldest zircon we've found yet." My background is in geology, and I've analyzed zircons myself, and I can safely say that it doesn't occur to any (most) geologist/geochemist to have to prove anything to Young Earthers in their studies.

 

[Seraj33]

Bah, that piece of rock's only worth five rupees.

 

[Reed Spacer]

It's not like this is going to convince anybody who doesn't want to hear it because of their preconceived notions, so the scientist quoted there seems rather too optimistic to me. Very pretty picture, though!

I don't think Valley's comments are meant for Young Earthers, but for his colleagues who question the accuracy of the dates. They would have no doubt that the earth itself is around 4.5-4.3 billion years old, but they are skeptical that the age of the zircons are correct.

Most of the geologists I know never really talk about Young Earthers while discussing their work. I'd imagine they've decided that it's a waste of time to edify or even address the arguments of people who can't be bothered to learn what the theories they're dismissing actually are. They're probably right; I've changed Young Earther's minds about the age of the earth before, but I had to basically do the job that their biology, geology, and physics professors failed to do. It's just not a worthwhile use of time. Really what we need to do is have teachers that actually do their jobs. If one in four Americans aren't aware the earth orbits the sun, as a recent survey showed, then our teachers are not doing their jobs.

Your education system is such a mess, with teachers actively throwing religious and/or personal beliefs into what they teach, even going so far as to outright refuse to teach something because it opposes them, I'm not surprised that a moderate number of students couldn't out-think a bowl of soup.

 

[PunkRex]

The Hadean was a time of molten rock and poisonous vapor, HELL ON EAAAAAARTH!!!

The Earth's got some damn pretty baby teeth, doesn't it?

... and that's just adorable /)^3^(\

They're probably right; I've changed Young Earther's minds about the age of the earth before, but I had to basically do the job that their biology, geology, and physics professors failed to do. It's just not a worthwhile use of time.

Dude, there may not be a more worthwhile use of time... as 'after school special-ly' as that sounds.

 

[Daniel Laeben-Rosen]

The Hadean was a time of molten rock and poisonous vapor, HELL ON EAAAAAARTH!!!

Let's face it. The earth's toddler-phase was Metal as fuck.


OT: Lovely to see to be honest. And hey, what's a million years or two here and there when you're counting in billions?
I know if I was 4.4 billion years old, I'd be pretty happy if people mistook me for 4.399 billion years old. Then again I'm closing on 30 and still get carded.

 

[Zipa]

I can't wait for the young Earth creationists try to explain this one away with their pseudo science.

 

[Gorrath]

I can't wait for the young Earth creationists try to explain this one away with their pseudo science.

It's simple, use the same method they always do. "This dating technique, like all dating techniques, are inaccurate. The evidence I have for this is that it contradicts what I already believe, what the Bible says, and this series of quote-mined and out-dated sources. I am a totally trustworthy source who has a PhD from Liberty University. The end."