Researchers have long suspected that the Moon formed when a Mars-sized protoplanet called Theia crashed into primitive Earth about 4.5 billion years ago. This event, which literally shattered the Earth, ripped off a large amount of fragments that eventually formed our planet’s only satellite.
Or at least that’s the theory; Naturally, not all researchers agree. But now, a group of scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences claim to have uncovered new evidence supporting the theory that larger chunks of Theia than previously thought may have sunk deep into the Earth.
TRACES MAY BE IN THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH
According to details in Donanımhaber, the team analyzed two large blocks of material known as large low-velocity regions (LLVPs), which are buried deep in the African continent and the Pacific Ocean. They performed complex fluid dynamics simulations to find the possible origin of these spots, as detailed in a new paper published in the journal Nature.
Simulating a massive Theia-like object hitting the Earth, the team found that the upper half of the Earth’s mantle would melt in the process, allowing roughly ten percent of the object to eventually travel deep into the Earth, near its core. These fragments would then grow larger due to agitation due to convection currents, allowing two LLVPs to form.
Previous simulations concluded that only traces of Theia dissolved into the Earth long ago. But the new study shows that much more of the Mars-sized protoplanet is trapped inside our planet, accounting for roughly two to three percent of Earth’s total mass.
Fortunately, this also means we may have a relatively simple way to test this new theory. According to lead author Qian Yuan, a geophysicist at Caltech, if the Moon was formed by the collision of Earth and Theia, rocks from the lunar mantle could prove this process. If the lunar mantle rock and LLVP share the same chemical signatures, it can be suggested that they both originated from Theia.
On the other hand, there are scientists who did not participate in the new study. Some say that the so-called fragments of Theia may have already mixed into the Earth’s mantle, while others suggest that magma swirling in the lower layer of the Earth’s mantle may have formed the LLVPs.
2023-11-04 21:00:21
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