The oldest rocks on Earth can tell us about the origins of life

The oldest known rocks on Earth formed more than three billion years ago, in the Pilbara, and are vital for telling us more about what shaped our planet.

Earth’s earliest continents are still tucked away inside most of our modern continents, and they were critical for kickstarting many chemical and biological processes on Earth.

Geologists have been trying to unlock just how and why this happened, and now an ancient meteorite impact crater has been found that could tell us more.

 Professor Chris Kirkland is one of the team who found this crater in a remote corner of the Pilbara in Western Australia, and is studying its ancient rocks.

He’s Professor of Isotope Geology, in the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group at Curtin University, and joined us the Thursday Daily.

 

Like to read more?

Article in The Conversation: Earth’s oldest impact crater was just found in Australia – exactly where geologists hoped it would be

Research paper in Nature: A Paleoarchaean impact crater in the Pilbara Craton, Western Australia