October 24, 2013

The age of the mountain is 4.3 billion years.

Many people from the world of science claim that the oldest mountain is located on modern territory Canada, where a rock formation was discovered whose approximate age is estimated at 4.3 billion years.

To understand how old this mountain is, it is worth remembering the fact that the age of planet Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years. That is, in fact, the oldest mountain is the same age as our planet. This Canadian mountain system called Nuvvuagittuq. Nuvvuagittuk is not just a system of mountains, but a real greenstone belt. Interestingly, this old rock formation was discovered by scientists not so long ago - in 2004.

Mountains near Hudson Bay

Tourists who would like to see this wonderful natural phenomenon will certainly find it useful to know that the oldest mountains are located in the vicinity of Hudson Bay - in the Canadian province of Quebec. This discovery of world scientists, published almost 10 years ago in the journal Science, is several hundred million years older than the earth’s rocks known in the past.

Previously, scientists considered the oldest rocks to be rocks called gneisses, which, by the way, are also found on Canadian soil, and their age is about 4 billion years. How exactly was the “oldest mountain” discovered, and how were scientists able to accurately calculate its age?

Geologists from leading Canadian and American Universities and Institutes explored the Nuvvuagituk mountain system, several tens of kilometers from which, by the way, there is an Eskimo settlement. Back in 2001, it became clear to geologists that the age of the rocks here is very significant, but it was not immediately possible to determine the exact “date of birth” of these mountains. The radioisotope method, the essence of which is to measure the amount of radioactive elements, helped to establish this fact. It has been proven that these mountains are indeed the remnants of the Earth's crust, which separated from the Earth's mantle after its birth. Thus, geologists and other world scientists have received new important information for studying mysterious questions - exactly how and as a result of which life appeared on Earth, what the atmosphere was like here, and when it happened.

Mountain Pencil

The next contender for the title of “most old mountain"on our planet is located on the territory of our Motherland. The age of the mountain called Karandash, which is part of the Ural mountain system, just like the age of the Canadian record mountain, exceeds 4 billion years. Karandash is located in the Southern Urals, its height is about 600 meters, and from its top you can see the nearby mountains and ridges. The name “Pencil” does not mean at all what many people probably thought. This toponym comes from the word Kara-Tash of Turkic origin and is translated as “black stone”.

One of the oldest mountains really consists of black stone - or rather, the mineral izrandite. This black mineral is part of the earth's mantle and very rarely comes out. It is surprising that this mountain with a multi-billion-year history was not destroyed by winds and waters, but has been preserved in its original form to this day. How did it happen that Mount Karandash, located on the territory southern Urals, older than this mountain system itself?

Ural Mountains

It's very simple to explain. The Ural Mountains were formed after the interaction of the European and Asian plates. The Asian plate, figuratively speaking, “crawled” onto the European plate, moving towards Europe over a long period of time. This is how the Ural Mountains, which are folded, were formed. But Mount Karandash has a completely different nature and origin, since it consists of the mineral izrandite, formed from the Earth’s mantle after its appearance.

As you can see, it is very interesting to dive into the depths of history. And it’s even more interesting to see with your own eyes such wonders of nature as Mount Karandash and the Nuvvuagittukyu mountain system, which are the same age as our planet.

Picturesque and long-lasting images of mountains with snow-capped peaks, bare rocks and forested slopes can attract interest with their diversity. The question inevitably arises of how to determine how many years they have existed. And which mountains are the oldest in the world? Photos of the oldest of them, as well as their descriptions, are presented in this article.

Features of the old mountains

Such formations can be considered those that correspond to several characteristics. First of all, there are no processes going on inside the oldest mountains in the world. They died down many centuries ago. Now, figuratively speaking, they are not growing, but, on the contrary, under the influence of external factors they are being destroyed, becoming smaller and smaller. The relief of such formations is smoothed, not contrasting, smoothly transitioning from one type to another. In addition, old mountains do not have sharp slopes and strong elevation changes. Available on them mountain rivers are not at all spontaneous - the valleys have clearly formed over the past centuries.

Vivid examples of the oldest mountains in the world are the Ural, Timan, Scandinavian and Khibiny mountains. Kola Peninsula. Some of them will be discussed below.

Pencil

The Ural Mountains form a chain stretching over a distance of 2,600 km. Due to the differences in relief and large extent, the Ural Mountains have a huge variety of vegetation and animals living here, which are located in the part suitable for them, where the climate is most suitable for certain representatives of the fauna.

Karandash, a formation that appeared 4.2 billion years ago, is considered one of the oldest mountains in the Ural chain. Information about this mountain is interesting not only because it is one of the oldest mountains in the world. What features does it have? The mountain stands out because its peak and base are made of israndite. This is a rare stone, with a composition closer to the earth’s mantle. It is practically not found anywhere else in the world. Today the earth's crust is very different in composition from izrandite, which makes Pencil unique precisely because of this quality.

Due to influence environment, irreversibly destroying all the oldest mountains in the world, the height of Karandash today is only 600 m. It received its unusual name from the Turkic language - “Kara-Tash”, which translated into Russian sounds like “black stone”. This is fully consistent appearance breeds

Canada's Mystery

The presence of such ancient formations indeed remained a mystery for a long time, but then scientists calculated the age of the rocks located near the village of Nuvvuagittuk. They turned out to be about 4.3 billion years old. Some of the oldest mountains in the world were named after an Eskimo village located next to the rocks. The breed, like that of Mount Karandash, is considered rare. It is called tonalin, and in appearance it resembles quartz.

Moreover, igneous rock is not the only basis. Near Nuvvuagittuq there is a large amount of volcanic rock. Not all scientists agree about the age of the mountains, and therefore relatively at this moment until the controversy continues. Therefore, it is not possible to identify plausible information.

Scandinavian mountain system

This is a system of mountain formations that “embraces” the entire Scandinavian Peninsula. Previously, it was a whole ridge. But over time, many plateaus have formed, which now replace the once impressive cliffs.

The time of formation is not known for certain. According to various sources, it varies from 4.8 to 3.9 million years. What is known for sure is that the ridge began to form in the Caledonian era. On average, the height of the plateaus is now no more than 1000 m.

When the continents had not yet been formed, ice tongues reached the territories of modern North America, Great Britain and Svalbard. Later, the ice on top changed significantly, continuously affecting them, it contributed to a significant decrease in height, erosion of the slopes and the formation of U-shaped depressions. Now granite fragments can be found far from Scandinavia.

How can I find out my age?

A variety of rock research methods help to understand which mountains are the oldest in the world. For example, you can approximately determine the age of certain rock layers - the further they lie, the older they are, and vice versa. There is one based on identifying age from the remains of extinct animals.

Another method is uranium-lead. It involves calculating the age of the oldest igneous rocks, but it should take into account where the oldest mountains in the world are located to which this method will be applied.

The article talked about only a few possible ways age calculations. There are quite a lot of methods that allow us to understand whether mountains are long-lived or formed recently. By exploring the planet, scientists continue to discover new details about its origin.

I wanted I would say that the Ural Mountains are the most ancient, but according to scientific research they are only 350 million years old. Therefore, they were “overtaken” in age by the rock formations in Canada - Nuvvuagittuq. These mountains are approximately 4.28 billion years old, i.e.

They were formed almost “immediately” with the appearance of the Earth itself.

Of the most young mountain formations. existing on the planet are the Himalayas; according to scientists, there are “only” 50-70 million.

Basic The distinguishing feature between young and ancient mountains is that the ancient mountains are very destroyed. they have less contrast in the mountainous terrain and no significant differences in elevation. Young mountains, on the contrary, have a very sharp relief, although the absolute height does not matter. Young mountains do not have to be high.

Still, the Ural Mountains may well compete for the title of the oldest mountains on the planet. At least it has long been known that Mountain Pencil. which is located between Miass and Zlatoust, is 4.2 billion years old. This is almost the same age (4.28 billion years) as the mountain system Nuvvuagittuk near Hudson Bay. But such a small difference may well be the result of an error in determining the age of the mountains.

Mount Pencil consists of izrandita- dense, heavy and almost black stone. This rock is from the Earth's mantle, and not from its crust; no organic matter was found in it.

The mountain got its name from graphite deposits nearby, which were used to make school slates and pencils. The mountain was once high, but over the millennia it has collapsed and its height is now only 600 meters.

The youngest mountains are considered to be those that were formed over the last 50 million years, that is, during the era of the last continental drift. These are the Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes and the Cordillera, and even the Caucasus - all these are very young mountains, mountains of the same age. But as for the oldest mountains, the question is more complicated. It is wrong to base the age of mountains on the age of rocks; you never know that a rock was formed when the surface of the earth solidified billions of years ago, this does not make it a mountain. A mountain is a rise in the earth's surface as a result of the movement of continental plates, and what continental plates can we talk about 4 billion years ago? Therefore, the Ural and Scandinavian mountains, which were formed more than 300 million years ago, are considered the oldest mountains in the world. And the most ancient rocks were discovered in Australia - zirconium from the green continent is more than 4.38 billion years old.

The latest mountain system that appeared on our Earth is the Himalayas with the greatest peak in the world - Chomolungma. 38 million years ago the Greater Himalayas began to rise, then the Lesser Himalayas, and approximately 7 million years have passed since the Siwalik Mountains were formed. This is the most South part Himalayas, bordering the Indian plain. The height of this system is only about 2.5 thousand meters. mountain range The Himalayas are still growing and have grown by 1370 meters over the past 1.5 million years.

And the mountains of the Urals and Canada compete for the title of the oldest mountain formation. Further research will someday establish this for sure.

Mountains are steeper and higher than hills, natural surface elevations on Earth. The process of mountain formation itself occurs under the influence of the volcanic influence of faults and uplifts of tectonic plates. In this process, sediments between plates become mountain ranges. Some of the most famous mountains- The Himalayas will be the youngest, the Scandinavian mountains, Nuvvuagittuk, and the Ural mountains are considered the oldest.

If you love fantasy, adventure and action, then you've probably been reading " Lost world"A. Conan Doyle and could not ignore the information about the fantastic and breathtaking Mount Roraima. It actually exists, and the appearance of this mountain is just as fantastic and mysterious.

Everardy Thorne and Harry Perkins traveled for a long time in December 1884 Potaro Rivers and Essequibo, as well as over the Caetur Falls, and further up to the incredible beautiful mountain Roraima. Thanks to notes about this trip, Conan Doyle wrote his “ lost World».

South America boasts a vast territory that is famous for its many mountains. Locals call them " Tepui", which translated means " house of the gods", the most high mountain is Roraima, which means “large green-blue mountain" U local residents the mountain enjoys special respect, and the Indians consider it nothing less than the “navel of the earth.” They say that at the very top of this amazing mountain lives the goddess Quinn, the ancestor of all people.

And there is nothing surprising here. After all, Mount Roraima is considered the oldest mountain on the planet. There was a huge plateau here more than 2 million years ago. After the rift occurred, this amazing mountain, the top of which still has the shape of a colossal sandstone plateau, and the area of ​​this unique natural wonder is about 30 km2. Roraima is rich in a unique ecosystem. Most of the species of animals and plants that have found their “registration” here are not found anywhere else on Earth. Thanks to almost daily rains, the carnivorous water lily has firmly settled on this mountain.

Scenic rainbows waterfalls, the highest in the world, penetrate the entire mountain with their jets. In addition, three majestic rivers are born in the Great Savannah South America- Amazon, Essequibo and Orinoco. According to the beliefs of the Repair Indians, Mt. Roraima and there is their Great Mother.


There are places on Earth that have remained unchanged for millions of years. When you find yourself in such places, you inevitably become imbued with reverence for time and feel like just a grain of sand. This review contains the oldest geological antiquities of our planet, many of which are still a mystery to scientists today.

1. The oldest surface



1.8 million years

In Israel, one of the local desert areas looks the same as it did almost two million years ago. Scientists believe that this plain remained dry and extremely flat for such a long time because there was no climate change or geological activity. According to those who have been here, you can look at the endless barren plain almost forever... if you can stand the wild heat well.

2. The oldest ice



15 million years

At first glance, the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica appear to be ice-free. Their eerie “Martian” landscapes consist of bare rocks and thick layers of dust. There are also remnants of ice that are approximately 15 million years old. Moreover, there is a mystery associated with this oldest ice on the planet. For millions of years the valleys remained stable and unchanged, but in last years they began to thaw. For unknown reasons, the Garwood Valley experienced unusually hot weather for Antarctica. One of the glaciers has been melting rapidly for at least 7,000 years. Since then it has already lost a huge amount of ice and shows no signs of stopping.

3. Desert



55 million years
The Namib Desert in Africa is officially the world's oldest sand pile. Among its dunes you can find mysterious “fairy circles” and desert Welwitschia plants, some of which are 2,500 years old. This desert has not seen surface water for 55 million years. However, its origins go back to the continental breakup of Western Gondwana, which occurred 145 million years ago.

4. Oceanic crust

340 million years

Indian and atlantic oceans were far from the first. Scientists believe they have found traces of the primordial Tethys Ocean in the Mediterranean Sea. It is very rare that the crust of the seafloor can be dated back to be more than 200 million years old, as it is constantly in motion and new layers are rising to the surface. The site in the Mediterranean Sea escaped normal geological recycling and scans revealed its record age (340 million years ago). If this is indeed part of Tethys, it is the first evidence that an ancient ocean existed earlier than previously thought.

5. Reefs created by animals



548 million years

The oldest reef is not just one or two branches of coral. This is a massive petrified “net” that stretches for 7 km. And he is located in Africa. This miracle of nature was created in Namibia by claudines - the first creatures with skeletons. The extinct rod-shaped animals made their own cement from calcium carbonate, like modern corals, and used it to stick to each other. Although very little is known about them today, scientists believe that claudins banded together to protect themselves from predators.

6. Mount Roraima



2 billion years

Three countries border this mountain: Guyana, Brazil and Venezuela. Its huge flat top is a popular tourist attraction, and when there is a lot of rainfall, water from the mountain cascades down to the plateau below. The sight of Roraima so inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that he wrote his famous classic “The Lost World”. At the same time, few tourists know that Mount Roraima is one of the most ancient formations in the world.

7. Water



2.64 billion years

At a depth of 3 kilometers in a Canadian mine lies what used to be the prehistoric ocean floor. After scientists took samples from a “pocket” of water discovered in the mine, they were shocked when this liquid turned out to be the oldest H2O on the planet. This water is older than even the first multicellular life.

8. Impact crater

3 billion years
A huge meteorite could have “knocked out” a significant piece of Greenland a long time ago. If this is proven, then the Greenland crater will “dethrone” the current champion - the 2 billion-year-old Vredefort crater in South Africa. Initially, the diameter of the crater was up to 500 kilometers. It still shows evidence of impact, such as eroded rocks at the crater margins and molten mineral formations. There is also ample evidence that sea ​​water poured into the newly formed crater and a gigantic amount of steam changed the chemistry of the environment. If such a monster hits the Earth today, the human race will face the threat of extinction.

9. Tectonic plates



3.8 billion years

The outer layer of the Earth is made up of several “plates” that fit together like puzzle pieces. Their movements shape the appearance of the world, and these “plates” are known as tectonic plates. On southwest coast Traces of ancient tectonic activity have been found in Greenland. 3.8 billion years ago, colliding plates “squeezed” out a “cushion” of lava.

10. Earth



4.5 billion years

Scientists believe that they may have gotten into their hands a part of the Earth that the planet was at birth. In Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, volcanic rocks have been found that formed before the earth's crust formed. This discovery may finally reveal what was going on with the globe before it became hard. These rocks contained a previously unseen combination of chemical elements - lead, neodymium and extremely rare helium-3.

For everyone who is interested in the history of our planet, we have collected.