Jonathan O'Neil / AP Ancient rocks could shed light on Earth's earliest days Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago from a collapsing cloud of dust and gas soon after the solar system existed.

The origins of plate tectonics on Earth are hotly debated, but evidence from Australia now shows that parts of the crust ...

The largest Mars meteorite ever found on Earth was sold at a Sotheby's auction in New York on Wednesday for $5.3 million.

Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago from a collapsing cloud of dust and gas soon after the solar system existed. Primordial rocks often get melted and recycled by Earth's moving tectonic ...

Meteorite NWA 16788 is one of the rarest types of space rock on Earth The largest rock from Mars ever found ... told CNN that the fact that the Mars rock is being sold — as opposed to donated to ...

In the intrusion, unlike the older rock that surrounds it, the two clocks tell the same story: the rock is about 4.16 billion years old. “Both clocks are giving the exact same age,” says O’Neil.

These rocks are unambiguously dated at 4.03 billion years old, marking the boundary between the Hadean Eon and the next chapter in Earth’s history: the Archean.

They are described in a study published June 26 in the journal Science. Earth’s early days–and rocks Earth was a ball of molten lava when it first formed about 4.5 billion years ago.

Earth Science Ancient Rocks in Canada Are Almost as Old as the Earth Itself Rocks older than 4.03 billion years could shed light on Earth's earliest geological history, but they're incredibly rare.