The rarest piece of Earth has been excavated in Australia: a small fragment of zircon, which was found on an Australian sheep ranch, gives some insight as to how the Earth was formed nearly 4.4 billion years ago.

In a bit of scientific news that is sure to send the revisionists in the Tea Party (and any other anti-science party) reeling, the zircon found in Western Australia was confirmed to be more than 4.4 billion years old by two different dating techniques, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The study, led by Professor John Valley of the University of Wisconsin, suggests that not only was the Earth's crust formed soon after the planet was formed, but that Early Earth was not as "rough" of a planet to live on when it was first formed all those years ago.

"One of the things that we're really interested in is: when did the Earth first become habitable for life? When did it cool off enough that life might have emerged?" Professor Valley said.

The existence of this crystal suggests that the Earth was cool enough to sustain life as many as 4.3 billion years ago, according to State Column, which goes on to further suggest that zircon is the oldest metal found on Earth, and -- because of its extremely high boiling point (2500 degrees Centigrade) -- makes it useful in a variety of industries, including both industrial and commercial uses.

Zircon is a mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates. Its chemical name is zirconium silicate and its corresponding chemical formula is ZrSiO4. A common empirical formula showing some of the range of substitution in zircon is (Zr1-y, REEy)(SiO4)1-x(OH)4x-y. Zircon forms in silicate melts with large proportions of high field strength incompatible elements. For example, hafnium is almost always present in quantities ranging from 1 to 4 percent. The crystal structure of zircon is tetragonal crystal system. The natural color of zircon varies between colorless, yellow-golden, red, brown, blue, and green. Colorless specimens that show gem quality are a popular substitute for diamond and are also known as "Matura diamond." The name derives from the Persian zargun, meaning golden-colored. The English word "zircon" is derived from "Zirkon," which is the German adaptation of this word.