The research team, led by Allen Nutman, discovered tiny ripples of sediment on ancient seafloor, captured inside a 3.7-billion-year-old rock in Greenland. These structures are believed to be the fossilized remains of cone-shaped stromatolites, layered mounds of sediment and carbonates that build up around colonies of microbes that grow on the floor of shallow seas.
Groundbreaking Discovery in Greenland
This finding, published in the journal Nature, provides crucial insights into the early geodynamics of our planet and the evolution of its magnetic field. The researchers have found the oldest undisputed evidence of Earth’s magnetic field, dating back 3.7 billion years.