Jack Hills, Australia Click Image to Enlarge  (JPG) (878,155 bytes) ( 2,282 x 1,772 )

The oldest material on Earth which has yet been dated by man is a zircon mineral of 4.4 billion years old from a sedimentary gneiss in the Jack Hills of the Narre Gneiss Terrane of Australia. It is the most ancient fragment of the earthÔÇÖs crust so far identified, formed approximately 150 million years after the planet itself. In August of 2007, scientists reported finding the worldÔÇÖs oldest diamond crystals, encased inside the zircon crystals. The image was acquired October 12, 2004, covers an area of 26.6 x 34.2 km, and is located near 26.2 degrees south latitude, 117.1 degrees east longitude.