Some scientists consider freshwater and dry land to be prerequisites for the emergence of life on Earth.
Share on email Zircon crystals are incredibly tough material that can withstand weathering, deformation, and other intense processes, says study co-author Hugo Olierook, a senior research fellow at Curtin University in Perth, Australia .
In their new study, Olierook and his collaborators analyzed zircon grains embedded in 3.1 billion-year-old sandstone from Australia's Jack Hills.Analyzing thousands of the tiny crystals, the team found unusually light oxygen isotopes, or forms of the element, in two of them. The ratio of light to heavy oxygen isotopes detected suggests the zircons' precursor magma once interacted with freshwater deep below Earth's surface.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Earth may have had freshwater and continents just 200 million years after forming, ancient crystals revealRichard Pallardy is a freelance science writer based in Chicago. He has written for such publications as National Geographic, Science Magazine, New Scientist, and Discover Magazine.
Read more »
Earth's mysterious D' layer: A relic of ancient oceans and planetary collisionsDeep within Earth, there lies a mysterious layer called the D' layer. Located roughly 3,000 kilometers down, this zone sits just above the boundary between the planet's molten outer core and its solid mantle.
Read more »
Lost Piece of Mars Found on Earth Reveals an Ancient Volcanic SecretThe Best in Science News and Amazing Breakthroughs
Read more »
Evolutionary Ingenuity: How Ancient Sharks Survived Earth’s Hottest OceansScience, Space and Technology News 2024
Read more »
Freshwater first appeared on Earth 4 billion years ago, ancient crystals hintOxygen ratios in ancient zircon crystals suggest that the planet’s water cycle got started hundreds of millions of years earlier than thought.
Read more »
Ancient crystals reveal the earliest evidence of fresh water, scientists sayChemical clues in zircon crystals suggest the rock in which they formed came into contact with fresh water 4 billion years ago, when Earth was thought to be covered in ocean.
Read more »