The oldest places on earth
- Burrup Peninsula, Australia. The Damper Archipelago in Murujuga National Park is home to what is thought to be the oldest collection of rock carvings in the world.
- Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt.
- Athens, Greece.
- Varanasi, India.
- Lisbon, Portugal.
Great Basin Bristlecone Pine
Australia has some of the oldest geological features in the world with the oldest known rocks dating from more than 3000 million years ago and rare zircon crystals dating back 4400 million years located in much younger rocks. The zircons evolved very soon after the planet was formed.
What is Zircon? Zircon is a natural gemstone popular for an astounding optical splendor that resembles a diamond. This trait of zircon makes it popular among jewelry and gem enthusiasts. The unique characteristic of displaying fire and luster makes this gemstone optically similar to diamond.
Zircon is widespread as an accessory mineral in felsic igneous rocks. It also occurs in metamorphic rocks and, fairly often, in detrital deposits. It occurs in beach sands in many parts of the world, particularly Australia, India, Brazil, and Florida, and is a common heavy mineral in sedimentary rocks.
Zircon can cost anywhere around $50 to $400 per carat, depending on the quality factors of the stone. You'll need to evaluate the stone and ensure that it is worth the asking price.
The natural color of zircon varies between colorless, yellow-golden, red, brown, blue and green. The name derives from the Persian zargun, meaning "gold-hued".
About 45.0% of Australia's EDR of ilmenite is in Western Australia (WA) and 19.3% is in Queensland (Qld) with Victoria (Vic) containing 21.8%, New South Wales (NSW) 10.3% and South Australia (SA) 3.6%.
Uluru/Ayers Rock, giant monolith, one of the tors (isolated masses of weathered rock) in southwestern Northern Territory, central Australia. It is the world's largest monolith.
Uluru is a type of rock called arkose. The flakes are bits of rock left after water and oxygen have decayed minerals in the rock. The red is the rusting of iron found naturally in arkose, and the grey is the rock's original colour. You can see Uluru's original grey inside many of its caves.
