A four million-year-old chunk of the Earth's crust, the size of Ireland, has been found floating under Western Australia.

According to the research&nbsp;which was published online on June 17 in the journal Terra Nova, the old crust spans an area of at least 38,610 square miles (100,000 square kilometres) and is buried&nbsp;"Tens of kilometres" underground.

The Earth is 4.54 billion years old and the piece of Earth's crust is 4 billion old which makes it among the oldest on Earth. The rocks of the Canadian Shield, which are located on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay and date back 4.3 billion years, are the oldest, according to Space.

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Due to plate tectonics, which continuously stirs up and pushes Earth's crust back into the mantle, the majority of the planet's rocky surface was formed within the last couple of billion years.

Researchers have discovered the crust near Australia's Jack Hills, a site that is also home to small minerals called zircons that date back 4.4 billion years. This makes them the oldest materials on Earth to have been found.

Maximilian Droellner, a doctoral student at Curtin University in Australia and study co-author, said in a statement that the oldest crust like the recently discovered chunk in Western Australia tends to date back around 4 billion years. He said that this suggests that something noteworthy occurred in that period of Earth's history.

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"When comparing our findings to existing data, it appears many regions around the world experienced a similar timing of early crust formation and preservation," he said.&nbsp;

"This suggests a significant change in the evolution of the Earth some four billion years ago, as meteorite bombardment waned, crust stabilized and life on Earth began to establish."

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Based on geochemical hints in the sediments found in the region, Droellmer and his colleagues believe that there is an older crust buried there. They also ran to test out their theory.&nbsp;

Researchers can learn more about the continents' early creation by comprehending how the crust formed 4 billion years ago, the researchers wrote. The planet's surface was constantly shifting during this time, and very few remnants of the early Earth have survived. This period laid the foundation for the planet as it is now.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A four million-year-old chunk of the Earth's crust, the size of Ireland, has been found floating under Western Australia. According to the research which was published online on June 17 in the journal Terra Nova, the old crust spans an area of at least 38,610 square miles (100,000 square kilometres) and is buried "Tens of kilometres" underground.

A four million-year-old chunk of the Earth's crust, the size of Ireland, has been found floating under Western Australia. According to the research which was published online on June 17 in the journal Terra Nova, the old crust spans an area of at least 38,610 square miles (100,000 square kilometres) and is buried "Tens of kilometres" underground. The Earth is 4.54 billion years old and the piece of Earth's crust is 4 billion old which makes it among the oldest on Earth. The rocks of the Canadian Shield, which are located on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay and date back 4.3 billion years, are the oldest, according to Space. Also read | Ghislaine Maxwell becomes 'bffs' with notorious double-murderer in jail Due to plate tectonics, which continuously stirs up and pushes Earth's crust back into the mantle, the majority of the planet's rocky surface was formed within the last couple of billion years. Researchers have discovered the crust near Australia's Jack Hills, a site that is also home to small minerals called zircons that date back 4.4 billion years. This makes them the oldest materials on Earth to have been found. Maximilian Droellner, a doctoral student at Curtin University in Australia and study co-author, said in a statement that the oldest crust like the recently discovered chunk in Western Australia tends to date back around 4 billion years. He said that this suggests that something noteworthy occurred in that period of Earth's history. Watch | WION Climate Tracker | Satellite images show extent of damage; Pak PM calls deluge 'worst in history' "When comparing our findings to existing data, it appears many regions around the world experienced a similar timing of early crust formation and preservation," he said. "This suggests a significant change in the evolution of the Earth some four billion years ago, as meteorite bombardment waned, crust stabilized and life on Earth began to establish." Also read | Paleontologists discover remains of Europe’s largest dinosaur in a garden in Portugal Based on geochemical hints in the sediments found in the region, Droellmer and his colleagues believe that there is an older crust buried there. They also ran to test out their theory. Researchers can learn more about the continents' early creation by comprehending how the crust formed 4 billion years ago, the researchers wrote. The planet's surface was constantly shifting during this time, and very few remnants of the early Earth have survived. This period laid the foundation for the planet as it is now. (With inputs from agencies) Watch WION LIVE HERE: You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Crust almost as old as the planet and thousands of kilometres long found floating under Australia

Scientists from India, the United States and Japan have struck upon a large natural gas deposit in the Bay of Bengal, the first potentially producible discovery of its kind in the Indian Ocean. 
 
A research expedition carried out jointly by the three countries discovered the natural gas hydrate - an ice-like form of the fuel - off India&#39;s east coast, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said in a statement Monday.&nbsp; 
 
Energy-hungry India is heavily dependent on imports to meet its oil and gas needs and is hungry to secure more of its own supplies. 
 
&quot;The results from this expedition mark a critical step forward to understanding the energy resource potential of gas hydrates,&quot; said USGS Senior Scientist Tim Collett.&nbsp; 
 
The discovery in the sand reservoirs of the Krishna-Godavari Basin contains &quot;what we believe to be several of the largest and most concentrated gas hydrate accumulations yet found in the world,&quot; Collett said.&nbsp; 
 
The amount of natural gas locked in hydrate form worldwide is believed to be far greater than the volume of all known conventional gas resources, USGS said.&nbsp; 
 
Yet producing the fuel from hydrates is extremely technically challenging. 
 
&quot;Advances like the Bay of Bengal discovery will help unlock the global energy resource potential of gas hydrates as well help define the technology needed to safely produce them,&quot; said Walter Guidroz, USGS Energy Resources Program coordinator. 
 
The next steps will involve testing to determine if production of the deposits is practically and economically viable. 
 
The expedition involved experts from India`s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and USGS as well as Japanese drilling and marine-earth specialists. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The tri-nation research expedition could have hit upon the first potentially producible discovery of its kind in the Indian Ocean

Scientists from India, the United States and Japan have struck upon a large natural gas deposit in the Bay of Bengal, the first potentially producible discovery of its kind in the Indian Ocean. A research expedition carried out jointly by the three countries discovered the natural gas hydrate - an ice-like form of the fuel - off India's east coast, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said in a statement Monday. Energy-hungry India is heavily dependent on imports to meet its oil and gas needs and is hungry to secure more of its own supplies. "The results from this expedition mark a critical step forward to understanding the energy resource potential of gas hydrates," said USGS Senior Scientist Tim Collett. The discovery in the sand reservoirs of the Krishna-Godavari Basin contains "what we believe to be several of the largest and most concentrated gas hydrate accumulations yet found in the world," Collett said. The amount of natural gas locked in hydrate form worldwide is believed to be far greater than the volume of all known conventional gas resources, USGS said. Yet producing the fuel from hydrates is extremely technically challenging. "Advances like the Bay of Bengal discovery will help unlock the global energy resource potential of gas hydrates as well help define the technology needed to safely produce them," said Walter Guidroz, USGS Energy Resources Program coordinator. The next steps will involve testing to determine if production of the deposits is practically and economically viable. The expedition involved experts from India`s Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and USGS as well as Japanese drilling and marine-earth specialists. (AFP)

India, US discover natural gas deposit in the Bay of Bengal

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