First crust and oceans (Jack Hills zircons)
Primera corteza y océanos (circones de Jack Hills)
- Date
- c. 4404 Ma · confidence medium
- Place
- Jack Hills, Western Australia, Australia
- Credited to
- Natural event
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
The oldest known zircons crystallised 4,404 million years ago; their oxygen suggests liquid water and continental crust very soon after the Earth formed.
Planetary event (F5), verified against sources on 25-09-2026.
What it led to
- Cool early Earth hypothesis