It’s the only rock determined to be from the first of four geological eons in our planet’s history: the Hadean, which began 4.6 billion years ago when the world was hot, turbulent and hell-like.

[1/3]An outcrop of meta gabbroic rocks from the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, that are 4.16 billion years old, in this photograph released on June 26, 2025.

Researchers from Canada and France suggest that the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt (NGB), a rock formation located in northeastern Canada, may contain rocks dating back to around 4.16 billion years ago.

"These rocks and the Nuvvuagittuq belt being the only rock record from the Hadean, they offer a unique window into our planet's earliest time to better understand how the first crust formed on Earth ...