Storiascopio · Era 1 of 12 · primary year 3
The oldest pieces of Earth
about 4.4 billion years ago · Jack Hills, Western Australia

In short
Tiny zircon crystals found at Jack Hills, in Australia, are about 4.4 billion years old. They survived even though the rocks that held them were changed or destroyed. What they are made of gives clues about the crust and the water of the very young Earth.
Why it matters They are some of the oldest physical evidence our planet has kept.
Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison, “Oldest bit of crust firms up idea of a cool early Earth”
Where we are in the era “The Earth before us”
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
about 13.8 billion years agoEvent 7 of 25about 66 million years ago
Your turn
Name ______________________ Class ______ Date __________
When did it happen? Find the date at the top and write it here:
Tell it in your own words: what happened?
Draw the scene below.
storiascopio.com/en/event/the-oldest-pieces-of-earth/ · free worksheet, you may photocopy it for your class