Oldest piece of Earth?

MattWeston

8th April 2005 - 07:20 PM

Did anyone read this article?
Earth's Oldest Known Object on Display
How do they know this is the oldest piece of Earth, or is this just the oldest one dated so far?

Technically, since matter cannot be created or destroyed, all matter should be the same age. Is this then just the oldest rock?

These geologists must not get out enough to have a big party over a grain of sand. Or may it was becasue they finally got the funding for their new microscope.

Matt

8th April 2005 - 09:07 PM

why do we still say that matter cannot be created or destroyed.

we've done both.

WaterBreath

8th April 2005 - 09:13 PM

Indeed. So the stuff we've created should be "younger", though I don't think we'd really be able to tell if one sub-atomic particle is younger than another.

Though I think it's just a simplification of terms. Matter cannot be created out of nothing. We can only create matter by transforming energy into mass. And destruction is just the opposite. So it's not truly destruction, because it's recoverable.

Matt

8th April 2005 - 09:21 PM

But, we can figure out when what ever this is hardened out of the magma.

and that's how they figure out how old it is.

MattWeston

8th April 2005 - 09:28 PM

Actually my biggest question was, why the party? It's a funding thing, isn't it?

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