NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle
Artistic concept of the collision of a heavenly body similar to Theia with the Earth
The celestial body Theia will have collided with Earth 4.5 billion years ago and originates from the moon, as well as left marks in our geology — and may have helped the planet to become habitable.
Scientists are unraveling the cataclysmic history of the origin of the moon, dating back to a dramatic collision more than 4.5 billion years ago that remodeled the earth and left back clues in the depths of the planet.
The theory widely accepted argues that a Mars dimension objectcalled Theia, clashed on the primitive land in a high energy impact. This event not only merged parts of the two planetary bodiesas well as ejected a huge amount of debris for orbit. These debris eventually merged to form the moon.
Although previous theories suggested that Theia could have only brushed the earth, newer simulations and geological tests indicate a much more direct impact. In this scenario, the collision was so intense that the two worlds became in one, Mixing your materials almost completely. Some of the debris formed a large satellite, which later fell to the earth, while a smaller piece was pushed out – eventually became the moon.
A key piece of support comes from detailed comparisons of oxygen isotopes in lunar and terrestrial rocks. These isotopes are practically identicalwhich suggests that the material that formed both bodies comes from a shared and completely mixed source, says.
“If there had been a difference in isotopes, that would have pointed to an angled blow. But what we found supports a more violent and central collision”Explains Ed Young, one of the main investigators dedicated to this subject.
The unusual properties of the moon also support this theory. Its orbit is closely aligned with that of the earth around the sun, allowing solar and lunar eclipses. There is also the high angular impulse of the earth-soat system, the smallest density of the moon, the lack of lighter elements and the fact that the cast’s melted past cannot be explained with a simple model of accretion.
But Theia’s legacy can be even deeper – literally. Scientists now believe that dense and anomalous regions in the depths of the earthly cloak, known as Large low speed provinces (LLVPS), can be remnants of Theia.
Located under the Pacific and African tectonic plates, these structures may have sunk into the cloak after the impact, suggesting that they had an extraterrestrial origin. Some researchers even propose that the material from the core of Theia has helped Start the tectonic activity of the landone of the ultimate characteristics that makes our planet habitable.
The collision can also have Earth axis inclinedgiving rise to stations that define our current climate.
Although Theia no longer exists as a distinct celestial body, her dramatic arrival has altered the earth forever, shaping her surface and her skies.
