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Ancient sand reveals missing piece of 3.2-billion-year-old continent
Scientists have found evidence for a missing piece of a 3.2-billion-year-old continent, according to a new study by University of Alberta scientists. The research identifies the only remnant of ultra-hot lavas within this ancient landmass, located within tiny mineral grains preserved in sandstone.
“Our research developed a method to identify and date pieces of our ancient continents that until now have been lost to us,” said Rasmus Haugaard, who conducted the research during his PhD studies in the Faculty of Science. “This is crucial as it can improve how we model the evolution of Earth’s early continents.”