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4.5 billion years ago, an object the size of Mars may have collided with Earth. According to some theories, this cosmic collision led to the formation of the Moon. A recently published study believes that the remains of the mysterious celestial body may be hidden there in the mantle, writes the newsletter Science.
According to a widely accepted theory, in childhood on Earth, a celestial body called Theia could have crashed into our planet and the Moon formed from the debris formed during the collision.
Experts from Arizona State University say the Theia remains are embedded in two layers of continental-sized rocks somewhere below West Africa and the Pacific Ocean.
Seismologists have previously observed that seismic waves from earthquakes slow down in the two layers, the so-called low shear rate provinces (LLSVP). It was also found that the density and chemical structure of the rocks that make up the strata differ remarkably from the rest of the mantle. Its total mass is six times the mass of the Moon.
These are the most powerful formations in the mantle. “ Research leader Qian Yuan said.
Based on isotope modeling and analysis, Yuan believes that LLSVPs are actually remnants of Theia.
According to Yuan, after the impact, Theia’s core fused with her Earth. If the model is correct, the mantle of the destroyed celestial body is located exactly where the two LLSVPs extend. Simulations showed that Theia’s mantle was 1.5 to 3.5 percent denser than Earth’s mantle, which is why it could remain so well segregated.
The researchers also collected samples from Iceland and Samoa, and their analysis revealed that the two LLSVPs may have formed in Earth’s first 100 million years – that is, when the Moon formed.
In support of the above findings, it is, of course, necessary that scientists also sample the Moon’s mantle. The rocks sought may be in the southern corner of Earth’s celestial companion, deep within an impact crater.
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