Grains of the mineral zircon have survived from way back in Earth's history. Analysis of these grains provides information on the state of our planet as long as 4.4 billion years ago.
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Halliday, A. In the beginning. . .. Nature 409, 144–145 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35051685
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35051685
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