Researchers found a four million-year-old fragment of the Earth’s crust floating under Western Australia. Here’s more on the fragment as big as Ireland.
A gigantic piece of Earth’s crust found floating beneath Western Australia
New research reveals the presence of a four million-year-old piece of Earth’s crust floating under Western Australia. As per the study published in Terra Nova on June 17, the crust is at least 38,610 square miles in size. It is buried “Tens of kilometers” underground. Our planet is 4.54 billion years old and the piece of floating crust is 4 billion years old. As per Space, the rocks of the Canadian Shield on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay date back to 4.3 billion years ago. As a result of plate tectonics, continuously stirs up and pushes the Earth’s crust back to the mantle. The process was vital for the formation of our planet’s rocky surface.
Maximilian Droellner revealed that the oldest crust similar to this chunk dates back to about 4 billion years. Droellner is a doctoral student at Curtin University and a co-author of the study. “When comparing our findings to existing data. It appears many regions around the world experienced a similar timing of early crust formation and preservation,” he stated. “This suggests a significant change in the evolution of the Earth some four billion years ago. As meteorite bombardment waned, crust stabilized and life on Earth began to establish,” he added.
More on the research
Additionally, researchers also discovered the crust near Jack Hills in Australia. The site is the home to zircons, small minerals dating back to 2.2 billion years. Making them the oldest minerals to be found. After better understanding the geochemical hints in the sediments present in the region, the researchers believe an older crust is buried in the region. Additionally, comprehension of the crust formations helps researchers better understand the early creation of the continents. During the time, the surface of the planet was constantly shifting and limited remnants of the early Earth survive today.
