In the many millennia since, it seems continental crust has retained that original chemical signature, less affected by the heavy bombardment of meteorites that changed the composition of Earth's ...

Since their formation billions of years ago, the oldest parts of Earth's continental rocks have generated natural hydrogen in ...

The oldest actual rocks date back to only about 4 billion years. “We’re missing a lot of Earth’s history,” O’Neil says. The new discovery fills in some of that history.

Our planet has been asteroid-smashed, melted and eroded, enough that most of its original armor has been long buried. Except ...

Early Earth's first crust composition discovery rewrites geological timeline Date: April 3, 2025 Source: Macquarie University Summary: Modern continental rocks carry chemical signatures from the ...

APRIL 4, 2025 15:40 Researchers discover Earth's first crust, formed 4.5 billion years ago, had chemical features similar to modern continental crust. (photo credit: Tanya Kalian. Via Shutterstock) ...

FINDING a piece of original crust requires an epic journey to the frigid north, the scorching outback, or maybe even beyond the bounds of Earth itself. The first stop on our odyssey is Yellowknife ...