Magnetic field of our planet much older than previously thought, study

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EUROPE: It looks like the Earth’s magnetic field is much older than previously thought. A recent study claims that the magnetic field of our planet is much older than it was previously thought. It seems that it is at least four billion years old.
The magnetic field of our planet has always been a life preserver, protecting us from streams of particles rushing in from our Sun and relentless solar winds that could have otherwise striped the Earth’s water and atmosphere away.
John Tarduno, a geophysicist at the University of Rochester said that Earth would be quite a barren planet without its magnetic field. However, there have been a lot of debates among scientists about exactly when this vital field was generated by the liquid iron core of the Earth.
On Thursday, researchers said that some evidence buried in small crystals recovered from Western Australia show that the magnetic field of our planet emerged at least 4.2 billion years in the past. This is much earlier than it was previously thought.
Previous studies had shown that the magnetic field arose around 3.5 billion years in the past, about 1 billion years after the formation of our planet. The recent study revealed that Earth was shielded by the magnetic field beginning incredibly early in its existence.