A Zirconium crystal can tell its own age. One such crystal specimen from Australia gives a puzzling picture of when water arrived on Earth. This challenges assumptions about life on earth. During formation, a Zirconium crystal accumulates less on more Titanium atoms based on the temperature. Firstly, geo-chemists recently discovered a piece of Zirconium, almost as old as planet Earth. This crystal was inside a hard rock in hilly western Australia. Secondly. Geologists say that the planet earth formed about 4.5-4.6 billion years ago. Geochemists Watson and Thomson say that the above crystal formed at temperatures around 680 degrees Celsius. They assert this based on the amount of titanium in the crystal. Secondly, there is one more interesting factor. These crystals can form only in the presence of water. Therefore, the discovery of the zirconium specimen is exciting. Earth had surface water right from the beginning! Surface Water and Asteroids All scientists consider surface water a good sign of life.

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