Scientists say zircon gem discovered in rock in Australia is 4.4 billion years old

Crystal found on ranch confirmed as oldest piece of Earth

A 4.4 billion-year-old zircon crystal from the Jack Hills region of Australia. Now confirmed to be the oldest bit of the Earth’s crust, it is providing new insight into how the early Earth cooled from a ball of magma and formed continents just 160 million years after the formation of our solar system.