Detrital zircon from sedimentary rocks found in Australia yields an age of 4.4 billion years, which indicates that rocks formed on Earth at least 4.4 billion years ago.

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Detrital zircon is a mineral that can be used for radiometric dating to determine the age of the rocks containing it. The age of 4.4 billion years obtained from detrital zircon in Australian sedimentary rocks indicates that Earth had solidified and formed continental crust at least 4.4 billion years ago. This supports the theory of early Earth formation and the existence of continental crust in the Hadean eon.

Detrital Zircon from Sedimentary Rocks Found in Australia Yields an Age