The world’s second oldest rock discovered from Kendujhar

Scientists have discovered the world’s second oldest grain of magnetic zircon from the Singhbhum rock at the Champua in Kendujhar district of Odisha. The zircon is a mineral that contains traces of radioactive isotopes. It is an estimated that the magnetic zircon in the rock is 4, 240 million years old that will offer fresh clues about the earth’s origins. It must be noted that this rock sample was recovered nearly 8 years ago from Champua that has put India at the forefront of geological research in the world. The geologists from the University of Calcutta and Curtin University, Malaysia, along with researchers from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (Beijing) made the discovery, which was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.