4bn-year-old 'Earth rock' found in Apollo 14 crew's moon haul
What may be one of the oldest known rocks from Earth has been found in the material that Apollo 14 astronauts brought home from the moon nearly 50 years ago.
It is thought that the rock, made up of quartz, feldspar and zircon, crystallised deep beneath Earth’s surface about 4bn years ago and was catapulted towards the moon in a collision with an asteroid or comet soon afterwards.
“It is an extraordinary find that helps paint a better picture of early Earth and the bombardment that modified our planet during the dawn of life,” said David Kring, a senior staff scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute.
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What may be one of the oldest known rocks from Earth has been found in the material that Apollo 14 astronauts brought home from the moon nearly 50 years ago.
It is thought that the rock, made up of quartz, feldspar and zircon, crystallised deep beneath Earth’s surface about 4bn years ago and was catapulted towards the moon in a collision with an asteroid or comet soon afterwards.
“It is an extraordinary find that helps paint a better picture of early Earth and the bombardment that modified our planet during the dawn of life,” said David Kring, a senior staff scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute.
..
more
