14 DAY TRIAL // First off, fair warning: if you clicked on this link hoping to learn how to woo a planet (take my word for it, such misunderstandings have been known to happen), you are in for a bit of a disappointment.
This is because the video below has nothing to do with romance (feel free to enter pouting mode), but with science. The science of determining a planet's age, to be more precise.
According to the folks at MinuteEarth, whom we must thank for posting this animation online, determining the age of our planet is not as simple as some might think.
This is because the Earth's surface regularly renews itself, thus erasing most of the evidence we could use to figure out for how long our planet has been around.
However, scientists have found that there is one mineral that can help solve this mystery. This mineral is called zircon, and it is surprisingly resilient.
Zircon contains both zirconium and small traces of radioactive uranium. In time, this uranium can take the place of zirconium in zircon and eventually decay and become lead.
Since lead does not naturally occur in zircon, researchers say that the more of this compound can be found in said mineral, the older the sample must be.
Based in information collected while analyzing bits and pieces of zircon, researchers estimate that our planet formed about 4.4 billion years ago, which makes it a tad older than one would assume after one quick glance at it.
Check out the video below to learn more about the science of dating planets, and feel free to share your thoughts on it in the comments section.
