An extraordinary geological discovery has emerged from the depths of the Indian Ocean, specifically at the site of the Fani Maoré volcano near Mayotte Island. Scientists have successfully identified lava material believed to date back to the Hadean Eon, around 4.5 billion years ago, when the Earth was still in its earliest stages of formation.
This finding is considered extremely rare and valuable for the global scientific community. Given the ongoing tectonic and geological activity over billions of years, traces of the Earth's surface from ancient periods are typically eroded or lost. Fani Maoré is now seen as a "geological archive" capable of preserving records of the Earth's interior conditions before the planet stabilized.
The volcano first captured global attention following a sequence of major earthquakes in Mayotte in 2018. The underwater eruption accompanying the seismic activity spewed a massive volume of volcanic material. Rock samples collected were subsequently analyzed in depth through isotope, chemical element, and mineral examinations, with results revealing characteristics of magma trapped since the early days of the solar system.
Although this material is not a direct remnant of the Moon-forming impact event between Earth and the protoplanet Theia, its presence offers crucial clues. Analysis of the lava allows experts to reconstruct the ancient magma environment, ultimately helping solve major mysteries regarding planetary evolution and the processes that enabled life to develop on Earth.
