Researchers Find ‘Oldest Rocks on Earth’ in Northern Quebec

(L-R) University of Ottawa professor Christian Sole, Carlton University professor Hanika Rico, and University of Ottawa professor Jonathan O’Neil on the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt in northern Quebec in an undated photo. Courtesy of Jonathan O’Neil

Rocks found in northern Quebec have been confirmed to be the oldest on Earth, dating back more than 4 billion years, according to a recent study published in Science.

The rocks were found by researchers in 2017 near the municipality of Nunavik as part of a master’s project that was being completed by Christian Sole at the University of Ottawa. Jonathan O’Neil, who supervised the study, said that at the time, the rocks in the area had been estimated to be about 3.8 million years old, but new testing has dated them back even further to 4.16 billion years, or from the Hadean eon (4.6 billion to 4 billion years ago).