Geologists have found ancient rocks in Greenland that bear the oldest remnants of Earth’s early magnetic field.
The researchers determined that the rocks are about 3.7 billion years old and retain signatures of a magnetic field with a strength of at least 15 micro teslas.
The ancient field is similar in magnitude to the Earth’s magnetic field today.
Previous studies have shown evidence for a magnetic field on Earth that is at least 3.5 billion years old.
The new study is extending the magnetic field’s lifetime by another 200 million years.