Can you visit the Acasta Gneiss?
The base tour duration is between 5 ½ to 6 hours with 1 ½ to 2 hours available to explore on the ground. You may also consider chartering the aircraft for the day under our private day charter package or including a stopover at Acasta as part of an Arctic Circle tour.
Table of Contents
Where is Acasta Gneiss located?
Northwest Territories

Acasta Gneiss (1983) The Canadian Shield, the largest expanse of Precambrian rocks on Earth, is host to Earth’s oldest known rock – the Acasta Gneiss of the Slave Province of the Shield, located about 300 kilometres north of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
How old is the Acasta Gneiss and why is it significant?
The Acasta Gneiss Complex, located at the Slave Craton in the Northwest Territories of Canada, contains 3.9-billion-year-old Archean rocks that, according to Roth et al., can be explained by crust extraction during the first few hundred million years after Earth formed and by relatively slow recycling of Earth’s crust.
How old is the Acasta Gneiss?

The Acasta Gneiss, a rock that formed from magma that cooled and solidified deep within Earth’s crust is the oldest rock yet dated at just over 4,000 million years old.
Where is the oldest rock on Earth?
Oldest Known Rock on Earth Discovered
- Bedrock along the northeast coast of Hudson Bay, Canada, has the oldest rock on Earth.
- Earth’s oldest known rock is composed of the mineral amphibole, which contains abundant garnet, seen as large round “spots” in the rock.
What are the oldest rocks found on Earth?
The oldest material of terrestrial origin that has been dated is a zircon mineral of 4.404 ±0.008 Ga enclosed in a metamorphosed sandstone conglomerate in the Jack Hills of the Narryer Gneiss Terrane of Western Australia.
Where is the oldest rock in Nova Scotia found?
1,500 to 750 million years ago – a violent beginning. The oldest rocks in the Maritime Provinces form the Blair River inlier which is found in the northwestern corner of Cape Breton Island. They can be seen on North Mountain as you drive up from Pleasant Bay.
What is the oldest stone on Earth?
Earth’s oldest known rock is composed of the mineral amphibole, which contains abundant garnet, seen as large round “spots” in the rock.
What is the oldest known mineral on Earth?
Zircons
Zircons, the oldest minerals on Earth, preserve robust records of chemical and isotopic characteristics of the rocks in which they form.
Where is oldest land on Earth?
Australia
Australia holds the oldest continental crust on Earth, researchers have confirmed, hills some 4.4 billion years old. For more than a decade, geoscientists have debated whether the iron-rich Jack Hills of western Australia represent the oldest rocks on Earth.
Which rock is found on the moon?
The Moon’s surface is dominated by igneous rocks. The lunar highlands are formed of anorthosite, an igneous rock predominantly of calcium-rich plagioclase feldspar.
What’s the biggest rock in the world?
Mt. Augustus
Mt. Augustus, the world’s largest rock, sits in the Golden Outback of Western Australia east of Carnarvon. Standing as a testament to the stark beauty that nature itself bestows, Australia’s great Mt.
What gemstones can be found in Nova Scotia?
Nova Scotia Flame Agate, Jasper, Amethyst, Quartz, Gemstones, Jewelry and Fine Zeolite Minerals, from the Bay of Fundy, Canada.
Where can I rockhound in Nova Scotia?
East Kemptville Tin Mine
This Tin Mine is a great place for rockhounding and is located approximately 45 km northeast of the town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, just east of the tiny hamlet of East Kemptville. It was the biggest main tin mine in the whole of North America while it was operational.
Where is Earth’s oldest rock?
Canada
Bedrock in Canada is 4.28 billion years old
Bedrock along the northeast coast of Hudson Bay, Canada, has the oldest rock on Earth.
What is the oldest living thing on Earth?
Great Basin bristlecone pine
The oldest single living thing on the planet is a gnarled tree clinging to rocky soil in the White Mountains of California. This Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) has withstood harsh winds, freezing temperatures and sparse rainfall for more than 5,000 years.
How much is moon dust worth?
The six-figure final price of Moon dust fell short of Bonhams’ pre-auction estimate of $800,000 to $1.2 million. NASA even went to court to fight for the ownership of the lunar dust.
How much is a moon rock worth?
A Moon rock known as “NWA 12691”, which weighs 13.5 kilograms (30 lb), was found in the Sahara Desert at the Algerian and Mauritanian borders in January 2017, and later went on sale for $2.5 million in 2020.
Whats the oldest rock in the world?
What is the most famous rock in the world?
Stone cold wonders: 7 famous rocks from around the world and the stories behind them
- 1: Plymouth Rock, USA.
- 2: Blarney Stone, Ireland.
- 3: Rosetta Stone, England.
- 4: The Black Stone of the Kaaba, Saudi Arabia.
- 5: The London Stone, England.
- 6: The Sword in the Stone, Italy.
- 7: The Stone of Destiny, Scotland.
Can you take rocks from the beach in Nova Scotia?
5. 6 (1) No person shall wilfully take or remove any sand, gravel, stone or other material from a beach without the permission of the Minister.
Has gold been found in Nova Scotia?
Gold mining has been a part of Nova Scotia’s heritage for 150 plus years and continues to this day. Over a million ounces of gold have been produced in the province since mining began in 1861.
Who was the oldest dog?
The oldest recorded dog was Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who lived in Rochester, Victoria, Australia. Bluey lived 29 years and 5 months. She had a very active life working with sheep and cattle, which may have contributed to her longevity.
What is the oldest language in the world?
World’s oldest language is Sanskrit. The Sanskrit language is called Devbhasha. All European languages seem inspired by Sanskrit. All the universities and educational institutions spread across the world consider Sanskrit as the most ancient language.
Can you legally own a piece of the moon?
Short answer: you can’t. No one can. The relevant provision of the OST is Article II which states: “Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.”