Ancient Zircon Crystal Grain May Change Our View
of Early Earth and Planet Formation 

January 11, 2001   Study of a tiny grain of zircon crystal -- dated at 4.4 billion years old -- indicates that the very early earth was cool enough to allow for the existence of water.  This study also indicates that the moon was formed differently than previously thought.  BBC Article  NYT Article

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Zircon crystals
BBC caption: The [zircon] crystals were found in Australia