At the University of Waterloo, researchers have discovered extremely ancient carbon residue in the world's oldest ruby, some 2.5 billion-year-old. The study concluded that some of the world's oldest rubies are linked to ancient life.
Chris Yakymchuk (Prof. of Earth and Environmental Sciences), at University of Waterloo, is leading a research team to conduct a study to understand the conditions necessary for ruby formation.
Yakymchuk's team found a ruby sample from Greenland that contained a billion years old graphite.
"The graphite inside this ruby is really unique. It's the first time we've seen evidence of ancient life in ruby-bearing rocks," says Yakymchuk.
"The presence of graphite also gives us more clues to determine how rubies formed at this location, something that is impossible to do directly based on a ruby's color and chemical composition."
The researchers analysed the isotopic composition of carbon atoms in the graphite and found that more than 98% of...