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.

Canadian researchers said they'd found the world's oldest rocks in northern Quebec. The find was controversial. But after more than a decade of hard work, they believe they've really proven it and are giving scientists a new glimpse into Earth's early history.

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,