Oldest known chunks of Earth's crust discovered deep underground in Australia

Chunks of Earth's primordial crust, or original crust, have been discovered deep underground in Australia.

Rocks almost four-billion-years-old have been discovered near Collie, south or Perth, in addition to the rocks already known in the Murchison district of Western Australia of a similar age.

Researchers have said it suggests the ancient rocks of Western Australia cover a far greater area than previously thought which are buried deep in the crust as these two examples are around 1,000km apart, according to The Conversation.

Chris Kirkland, Professor of Geochronology at Curtin University, said: "The ancient crust of Australia is crucial for understanding the early Earth, because it tells us about how the continental crust formed and evolved.

"Continental crust forms the foundation of landmasses where humans live, supporting ecosystems, and providing essential resources for civilisation. Without it there would be no fresh water. It is rich in mineral resources such as gold and iron, making it economically significant."

A visual representation of the layers of Planet Earth / (Rost-9D, iStock)

It's really difficult to explore though as most of it is deeply buried or modified by its environment - there are only a handful of exposed areas where researchers can directly observe the ancient crust.

Planet Earth is made up of three different layers, which are the crust, the mantle and the core.

The crust is the outside layer of the planet and it's made of solid rock - there are two types of crust, which are oceanic and continental.

The mantle is hot, dense, iron and magnesium-rich solid rock which is up to 2,900km thick.

The core is the planet's centre and is made up of a liquid outer core and a solid inner core; temperatures here can reach up to 50,000 degrees Celsius.

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