Magma Ocean - Isua Greenstone Belt - 3.6 Billion Years Old

An Isua Greenstone Belt Rock From Greenland

This Isua Greenstone Belt rock is a piece of some of the oldest rock on Earth. It comes from Greenland and is over 3.6 billion years old.

Product Details

• Specimen: Magma Ocean specimen, a piece of Isua rock
• Origin: Greenland greenstone belt: the Isua Greenstone Belt
• Age: A 3.6 billion year old rock from the Archaean Eon
• Display: Acrylic jar with a removable top, in a glass-topped riker box
• Includes: Information card that serves as the certificate of authenticity
• Note: First seen in the Fifth Edition, now offered as a solo specimen.

Traces of a Fiery Earth

In the Hadean Eon, Earth was a roiling ball of hot magma. Few rocks from that time survive.

The supplier describes the Isua belt as holding some of the earliest traces of our planet. Studies often cite an age of 3.7 to 3.9 billion years.

What the Belt Preserves

The belt lies near Nuuk, on Greenland's southwest coast. It is a narrow outcrop about 30 km long.

It holds the oldest known banded iron formation and pillow basalts. Pillow basalts form when lava erupts underwater, so surface water already existed.

This 3.6 billion year old rock is a good start for our Natural History Collection.

Display and Care

Keep the Isua Greenstone Belt rock in its jar and box.

About Greenstone Belts

More than 250 greenstone belts are known worldwide. Many hold gold, silver or copper. The Magma Ocean specimen is among the oldest. A small Greenland greenstone belt piece like this makes a deep-time keepsake.

For More Reading from the Web

• Learn why the Isua rocks matter. Dig Deeper: Isua Rocks - Museum of the Earth
• Read the supplier's page on this specimen. Magma Ocean Page - Mini Museum