Chunk of Original Earth Found - 4.5 billion yrs Old Mantle

MattHunX · #1 by **MattHunX** » Aug 12, 2010 7:03 am

http://news.discovery.com/earth/oldest- ... -lava.html

THE GIST

* Lava rocks have been found that are made from a hidden pocket of Earth's earliest mantle.

* The lava rocks are 60 million years old, but the mantle they come from is 4.5 billion years old.

* No one knows how common such undisturbed, virgin mantle there is.

Imagine you suddenly discovered part of your umbilical cord was still attached. Scientists just did that for the planet Earth. What's been found is a clear sign that beneath the crust in northern Canada there is a chunk of pristine, undisturbed rock from the time when Earth was nothing but molten rock.

The evidence comes in the form of lava rocks that, themselves, are a mere 60 million years old. But these rocks contain an early Earth mixture of helium, lead and neodymium isotopes which suggest the mantle rock beneath the crust that yielded them is a virgin pocket of Earth's original material.

That pocket had survived for 4.5 billion years under Baffin Island without being mixed by plate tectonics or erupted onto the surface.

Continued...

Macroinvertebrate · #2 by **Macroinvertebrate** » Nov 04, 2010 10:21 pm

Oh yeah!! Sexy virgin mantle!!! :dance:

FACT-MAN-2 · #3 by **FACT-MAN-2** » Feb 06, 2011 3:23 am

MattHunX wrote:http://news.discovery.com/earth/oldest-earth-rock-lava.html

THE GIST

* Lava rocks have been found that are made from a hidden pocket of Earth's earliest mantle.

* The lava rocks are 60 million years old, but the mantle they come from is 4.5 billion years old.

* No one knows how common such undisturbed, virgin mantle there is.

Imagine you suddenly discovered part of your umbilical cord was still attached. Scientists just did that for the planet Earth. What's been found is a clear sign that beneath the crust in northern Canada there is a chunk of pristine, undisturbed rock from the time when Earth was nothing but molten rock.

The evidence comes in the form of lava rocks that, themselves, are a mere 60 million years old. But these rocks contain an early Earth mixture of helium, lead and neodymium isotopes which suggest the mantle rock beneath the crust that yielded them is a virgin pocket of Earth's original material.

That pocket had survived for 4.5 billion years under Baffin Island without being mixed by plate tectonics or erupted onto the surface.

Continued...

Most interesting. :think:

When I rafted down the Colorado River through Grand Canyon we saw bedrock that was alleged to be 3.8 billion years old. The river had carved its way down into that layer.

I'd expect if there's remnant mantle below Baffin Island there are probably other places around the globe at that latitude where it also exists, and probably under Antarctica's ice as well.

It was something to touch that ancient rock in the GC. It even looked old.

But as I always say, "Old is good!" :grin:

Dracena · #4 by **Dracena** » Feb 06, 2011 7:00 am

Light Storm · #5 by **Light Storm** » Jan 19, 2012 8:28 am

Outstanding

matt8819 · #6 by **matt8819** » Mar 04, 2012 5:19 am

Was looking for some info on this on Google, and this thread was the first search result. We're moving up in the world!

Horwood Beer-Master · #7 by **Horwood Beer-Master** » Mar 04, 2012 9:48 am

FACT-MAN-2 wrote:...I'd expect if there's remnant mantle below Baffin Island there are probably other places around the globe at that latitude where it also exists, and probably under Antarctica's ice as well...

I'm confused, why would latitude determine the likelihood of ancient mantle surviving? Why would Antarctica stand a particularly good chance of having any?

MattHunX · #8 by **MattHunX** » Mar 04, 2012 12:32 pm

matt8819 wrote:Was looking for some info on this on Google, and this thread was the first search result. We're moving up in the world!

orpheus · #9 by **orpheus** » Mar 04, 2012 2:04 pm

(Uncle Orph'sTM popcorn - "original recipe" )

orpheus · **#10** by **orpheus** » Mar 04, 2012 2:05 pm

Light Storm wrote:Outstanding

Literally.