What was Earth's mantle like 3.8 billion years ago, and how do we know?

The mantle is a realm that humans have never visited, and examining it is only harder in the ancient past. Fortunately, the mantle sometimes gifts us with beautiful green rocks from the deep, souvenirs of an unknown underworld. Today, we learn how the mantle has changed over time, and its surprising connections to outer space. On the way, we'll meet the father of geochemistry, revisit old asteroid friends, and learn why you should always flour your berries before making a cake.

Extra Credit: Bake some blueberry muffins.

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What is the world's oldest slice of mantle, and how did it reach the surface?

Today, we'll meet the first tangible piece of the world below the crust, a world humans still have not visited. Along the way, we'll meet an old mineral friend from Season 1, a researcher named Friend, and learn how diamonds can be a geologist's best friend when looking for slices of the mantle.

Extra Credit: Clean your bathtub, or call an old friend.

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In 1971, two geologists traveled to the edge of Greenland's ice sheet. What they found were the oldest rocks known at the time, 3.8-3.7 billion years old.

Shockingly, they were in decent condition, sparking a half-century of geology stories. Today we'll begin our tour of Isua, the final destination of Season 2. Along the way, we'll meet a Holocaust survivor who landed on top of the world, visit an iron mine surrounded by glaciers, and start to meet the highest-quality rocks of this season.

Extra Credit: Eat some candy, some shrimp, or some Indian food.

Donate to support the show- anything is appreciated!

Two months ago, I made an audience survey focusing on one topic: how would you like to support the show?

Many folks answered, and here's what you said about donations, Patreon, ads, and merch.

If you want to give your own opinion, take the survey here, put a comment below, or send a message to bedrock.mailbox@gmail.com.

If you'd like to give a donation, you can click here- any amount is appreciated!

Nearly 30 years ago, one paper claimed to find the oldest evidence for life on Earth. How does that evidence hold up in 2025? Are these fossils or duds? Don’t panic, we’ll answer these questions to life, the universe, and everything in due time. Along the way, we’ll meet the most abundant mineral in the human body, an important fertilizer, and finish a trilogy of intense debates over a small Greenland isle.

Extra Credit: Read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, eat cake with sprinkles, and make sure to floss afterwards.

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Click here for the audience survey!

Click here to read Dylan's Nature paper!

How old is the oldest slice of Earth's seafloor? The answer is more contentious than you would think. Today, we visit one of the most debated locations in the show: a small island off the Greenland shore named Akilia. Everything about these rocks has been contested, and we'll meet three scientists who form cornerstones of the debates.

Extra Credit: Watch something on an old CRT TV, or count tree rings in a stump.

Earth’s crust is shattered into dozens of moving plates, but many other worlds operate very differently. What are some alternatives to plate tectonics?

Today, we’ll compare tectonics on Earth with tectonics on other planets, through the lens of 3.9 billion-year-old rocks from Greenland. On the way, we’ll visit the westernmost town in the USA, visit one of our cosmic neighbors, and learn about the Occam’s Razor of geology.

Extra Credit: find today’s planet in the night sky, drop a pebble every day this week and see if anything changes, or read “The Long Rain” by Ray Bradbury.

Donate to support the show- anything is appreciated!

Click here for the audience survey!

Click here to read Dylan's Nature paper!