In Western Australia, scientists found a fragment of Earth's crust that is 4 billion years old

A team at Curtin University has found evidence of a nearly four-billion-year-old piece of Earth's crust beneath southwestern Western Australia using lasers smaller than a human hair to target microscopic minerals mined from beach sand. It was disclosed.

In the Mineral Systems Time Scale Group at Curtin University of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Ph.D. student Maximilian Drolener said the laser was used to vaporize fragments of individual grains of zircon, which were used to determine where the grains eroded originally and its geological history. In this new discovery, we gain a better understanding of how the planet evolved from being uninhabited to supporting life.

The geological evolution of Western Australia over the past few billion years has been influenced by a 4-billion-year-old crust the size of Ireland, he says. The Droolners.

The piece of crust has survived several mountain building events between Australia, India and Antarctica and still exists at depths of tens of kilometers below Western Australia's southwest corner.

In order to understand our findings, we must compare them with existing data. Early crustal formation and preservation appear to have occurred in many areas around the world at a similar time. The crust settled, and life established itself.'

In comparison with existing data, Dr Milo Parham, research supervisor of the Mineral Systems Time Scale Group within the Curtin School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, said the study was interesting. , It's a new perspective.

“In the ancient fragment of Parham, there are important crustal boundaries that determine where to find economically valuable minerals,” Parham said.

In order to optimize future exploration of sustainable resources, it is essential to identify ancient crustal remains. The study of the early Earth is challenging due to the length of time elapsed, but it is important to understand the importance of life on Earth and our quest to find it elsewhere.

The references are: Maximilian Drolner, Christopher L. Kirkland, Milo Parham, Noreen J. Evans, and Bradley J. In the West Yellowgarn Craton, Western Australia, Paleolithic Steadfast Plantation remains can be found. The new land.

In addition to Dr Param, Mr Drolener and Professor Kirkland are affiliated with the Geosciences Institute for Research. The Western Australian Mineral Research Institute funded Curtin's premier Earth Sciences Research Institute.