The oldest rocks on Earth have been discovered in Canada: they could be key to understanding the planet's origins.

A group of scientists has discovered rocks in Canada that could be the oldest ever found on Earth, according to studies recently published in the journal Science.

This stony formation is known as the Nuvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, which has long been identified within the scientific community by its ancient crags: plains of veined gray stone on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay, in the province of Quebec.

But researchers haven't agreed on their exact age. Work from two decades ago suggested the rocks could be 4.3 billion years old , placing them within the oldest period in Earth's history.

However, other experts, using a different method, disputed the finding. These scientists argued that ancient contaminants were skewing the age of the rocks , and that they were actually slightly younger, at 3.8 billion years old.

In the new study, researchers sampled a different section of rock from the belt and calculated its age using two dating techniques. The result: 4.16 billion years old.

The different methods "gave exactly the same age," says study author Jonathan O'Neil of the University of Ottawa.

Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago from the collapse of a cloud of dust and gas, shortly after the solar system came into being. Shifting tectonic plates often melt and renew primordial rocks, so they are very rare on the surface today.

Scientists have discovered 4 billion-year-old rocks in another Canadian formation called the Acasta Gneiss Complex, but the Nuvvuagittuq rocks are believed to be older.

By analyzing and studying the oldest rocks on Earth, we could create an image of what the planet may have been like so long ago, how its magma oceans gave way to tectonic plates, and even how life originated.

"Having a sample of what was happening on Earth at that time is really valuable ," says Mark Reagan of the University of Iowa, who studies volcanic rocks and was not involved in the new study.

The rock formation is located on Inukjuak tribal lands. The local Inuit community has temporarily restricted scientists from taking samples from the site due to damage sustained during previous visits.

After geologists visited the site, they noticed large chunks of rock missing, and the community noticed pieces for sale online, explained Tommy Palliser, who manages the land and is a member of the community.

The Inuit community wants to collaborate with scientists to create a provincial park to protect the land and allow researchers to study it: "There's a lot of interest in these rocks, which we understand. We just don't want any more damage," Palliser concludes.