Book 12, Question 61
Why Are Some Rocks in Canada Billions of Years Old?
Some rocks in Canada are about 4 billion years old! They are part of the Canadian Shield, some of the oldest land on Earth. Some of those very old rocks are in the Northwest Territories.
More fun facts
- Some of the oldest rocks on Earth are in the Nuvvuagittuq belt in Canada.
- Scientists confirmed in 1999 that some rocks in a Canadian formation are more than four billion years old.
- Different dating methods gave very different ages for Nuvvuagittuq, from 3.8 to 4.3 billion years.
- A newer study says the Nuvvuagittuq rocks are about 4.16 billion years old.
- Scientists date these rocks by measuring the radioactive decay of elements inside them.
Sources: Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine, BBC, Scientific American
Questions kids ask
Why study such old rocks?
They may hold clues about early Earth and how life began.