 Mary Diman and John Valley |
Evidence of Very Early Times
Pictured is a false-color microscope image of a 4-billion-year-old zircon, a tiny mineral used to study the ancient rocks in which it formed. Chemical analysis of this crystal suggests that rocky continents and liquid water existed on Earth at least 4.3 billion years ago. Evidence of heavy weathering by a harsh climate may help explain why no rock samples older than 4 billion years have ever been found. |
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