When the Apollo 14 astronauts returned samples from the moon’s surface, they probably didn’t realize that they were reuniting Earth with a bit of its early history.

A lot of the rocks we have on Earth are pretty old, but none of them were around when our planet was first formed. The Earth itself is around 4.5 billion years old, and the oldest rocks we’ve ...

The oldest rocks on Earth are especially helpful for scientists, as they contain Hadean minerals, which are minerals from Earth's first geological eon. This particular eon spans from the formation ...

The scientists found that one rock contained a 0.08-ounce (2 grams) fragment composed of quartz, feldspar and zircon, all of which are rare on the moon but common here on Earth.

Scientists have found the oldest known rocks on Earth. They are 4.28 billion years old, making them 250 million years more ancient than any previously discovered rocks.

NASA astronauts who visited the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission hauled back a whole bunch of material from its surface. At the time, they … ...

Item 1 of 3 An outcrop of meta gabbroic rocks from the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, that are 4.16 billion years old, in this photograph released on June 26, 2025.

The 50-mile-long (80 kilometers) ridge contains crystallized minerals called zircons dating to 4.4 billion years ago, making them the oldest Earth materials ever found.

The world's oldest rocks are spread across the globe and paint a picture of Earth's turbulent early history. Here are some of the most notable and important formations scientists have discovered.

The world's oldest rocks are spread across the globe and paint a picture of Earth's turbulent early history. Here are some of the most notable and important formations scientists have discovered.