2024-07-23 20:41:05
MONTREAL — The oldest rock on Earth is from Quebec and is on display in the permanent geological exhibition at the Pavilion Discovery of Safari Park.
Collected from the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt, on the shores of Hudson Bay, the stone is 4.285 billion years old. The formation of the Earth is estimated to be 4.54 billion years old and about 4.4 billion for its first hardened layer.
The greenstone belt is a primary geological formation visible at the surface. It has undergone “very little deformation and is intact” despite its millennia of existence, emphasizes Simon Sédillot, the exhibition commissioner of the park.
A brushing of it has allowed for many samples to be collected. Mr. Sédillot states that the piece he presents at the pavilion is “the reference piece that is shown in most scientific journals.”
Of a rather plain, dark appearance, the rock is mainly composed of a mixture of carbon and quartz, “basic elements of the Earth’s crust.”
We can date it using radiometry, a process based on the decay of radioactive elements, particularly in zircon, over time.
“What is interesting is to see that not only does [the rock] retain its own history, but also that of the development of life,” marvels Mr. Sédillot.
While in its early days our planet had about 50 different minerals, it now hosts around 5000.
One of the reasons: biological life. Oxidation, for example, only occurred after photosynthesis, the geologist claims. As a result, rust and other oxidized metals are the result of an evolution of terrestrial life.
On the other hand, “everything that has developed on Earth happened after the rock. Without minerals, there would be no animals; it is an essential constituent for all kinds of life,” he reminds us.
The geology of Quebec, “scientific treasure”
At Mount Saint-Hilaire alone, there are over 440 different minerals, accounting for nearly 7% of all species recorded in the world, notes a communiqué from the Canadian Museum of Nature released last April. Among these, 71 have been identified for the first time there, specifies the mountain’s website.
This is the third most important site in the world, emphasizes Mr. Sédillot; “the Quebec underground is a true treasure chest of scientific knowledge.”
The geology enthusiast also points out that the sites of Anticosti and the Miguasha National Park are both listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites for their significant quantity of fossils.
Each year, nearly 50,000 people visit the geological exhibition at Safari Park. In addition to the oldest rock on Earth, they can discover over 600 minerals, 200 fossils, and a collection of sands from all over the world.