OLDEST SAMPLES OF EARTH’S CRUST DATED USING CAMECA® INSTRUMENTATION

International Research Team Relies on CAMECA Atom Probe and Ion Mass Spectrometer to Determine Age and Geochemistry of 4.4-Billion-Year-Old Australian Zircon CrystalMADISON, WI – An international team of geoscientists, utilizing advanced microanalytical instruments, has determined that a tiny fragment of zircon crystal from Western Australia is about 4.4 billion years old, making it the oldest confirmed intact piece of the Earth’s crust. The crystal, not much larger than the width of four human hairs, was analyzed using the latest Atom Probe Tomography (APT) and Secondary Ion Mass