Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt Faux Amphibolite 2175

The oldest known rocks on Earth are currently the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, which are an exposed geological formation on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay, northern Quebec, Canada. This Greenstone Belt is unique beyond all the other Greenstone Belt rock formations not only because it has rocks called “faux amphibolites,” but it also might contain some of the oldest early traces of life for our planet. The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt beats in age some of the previously oldest known rocks from Canada, with an age date of 3770-4321 Ma.

The data from the findings about the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt give researchers a new window on the early separation of Earth’s mantle from the crust in the Hadean era.

The only older crustal material is from isolated mineral grains and are called zircons, which come from the Jacks Hills, in Australia. The zircons from this locality are the oldest minerals on Earth and are about 4.36 billion years old.

This type of rock implies that a shallow ocean had already existed 300 million years after the Earth’s formation. It raises a puzzling question as to bacteria and “bugs,” as they are thought to be needed to precipitate iron availability for the formation of this type of rock. The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt may contain traces of the oldest form of life, with an age date of about 3.77 Ga.

Specimen size: 28mm L X 15mm W X 6mm D, Weight: 2.17 grams

Shipped in a perky box, tag, tag stand, information and Certificate of Authenticity. Acrylic specimen base stand and photo cube not included. Not many of these ultra rare specimens left.

Legally obtained in a materials trade with a scientific institution.