New data on the origin of our natural satellite about 4.5 billion years ago. A study carried out by a team of geochemists at the University of California, Los Angeles (USA) has provided new evidence that the Moon was formed due to an abrupt head-on collision between a young Earth and a fledgling planet called Theia , approximately 100 million years after the formation of our planet.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists analyzed several rocks from the Moon (collected by the Apollo 12, 15 and 17 missions) and six volcanic rocks from the Earth’s mantle in order to try to reconstruct this violent and ancient impact.
The chemical signature in oxygen atoms of the rocks in both places (using state-of-the-art technology to make absolutely precise and detailed measurements, and verified with a mass spectrometer) has provided the key: “We do not see any difference between the oxygen isotopes of the Earth and those of the Moon, but they are indistinguishable ”, explains Edward Young, leader of the study.
The fact that the chemical signatures of the Earth and the chemical signatures of the Moon are exact supports the hypothesis of the frontal collision, since otherwise each celestial body would have a different fingerprint, just as it happens with others. planetary bodies.
According to the researchers, “ Theia mixed thoroughly on both the Earth and the Moon, and evenly dispersed between them . This explains why we don’t see a different signature of Theia on the Moon and on Earth, ”Young clarifies. Had it not been for this collision, Theia probably would have become a planet – perhaps – similar to Earth.
The study has been published in the journal Science .
