Zirconium is a silver-gray transition metal, a type of element that is malleable and ductile and easily forms stable compounds. It is also highly resistant to corrosion. It's also the only mineral that can tell us about the chemical make-up of the earth more than four billion years ago, including that plate tectonics started 3.6 billion years ago. This Element of Surprise segment features the following experts: Wenjing Li, research scientists, Advanced Reactor Materials and Chemistry Branch, Canadian Nuclear Labs, and Paula Piilonen, mineralogist, Canadian Museum of Nature.

From the Curio.ca streaming audio-visual collection.