Scientists have identified what could be the oldest rocks on Earth from a rock formation in Canada. The Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt has long been known for its ancient rocks - plains of streaked gray stone on the eastern shore of Hudson Bay in Quebec. But researchers disagree on exactly how old they are.

Scientists have identified what may be Earth's oldest rocks following new research into the formations. The discovery centres on the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, situated along Hudson Bay's eastern shore in Quebec.

An outcrop of meta gabbroic rocks from the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, that are 4.16 billion years old, in this photograph released on. A knife is pictured for scale. Jonathan O'Neil/Handout via REUTERS (Reuters) -Along the eastern shore of Hudson Bay in Canada's northeastern province of Quebec,