Blobs in Earth’s Interior From Ancient Planet

Blobs in the Earth’s interior mantle have been puzzling geologists for decades. Find out how a new study solves the mystery by linking them to an ancient planet that collided with Earth to form the Moon.

I was living in Ottawa in the late 1980s when the Australian rock band INXS released the song Never Tear Us Apart. It contains the iconic line, “two worlds colliding, and they will never tear us apart.”

You probably know the song I mean. What you may not know is that scientists believe that the Earth and the Moon formed when two worlds really did collide in the early solar system.

According to this giant-impact hypothesis, a Mars-like planet scientists call Theia collided with the young Earth. When the two planets crashed into each other, they spewed material from both of them out into space.

Impact Debris Cooled to Form Moon

This debris, mainly molten rock and metal, started orbiting around the Earth. It gradually coalesced into a single mass and cooled, forming the Moon.

This collision with Theia generated intense heat, forming Earth’s early atmosphere. The heat also melted the lunar…