According to researchers, the remains of ancient Theia are hidden deep under the surface of the Earth.
Many scientists agree that billions of years ago, an ancient planet called Theia collided with the Earth, which led to the formation of the Moon. However, no direct evidence of Theia's existence has yet been found, and it was assumed that all of its remnants mixed with Earth's matter during the planet's formation.
A new theory published in the journal Nature suggests that Theia's remains may have been preserved in the Earth's mantle. According to scientists, after the collision, molten fragments of Theia could have penetrated the Earth's mantle and solidified, leaving parts of the ancient planet's material at a depth of about 2,900 kilometers above the Earth's core.
This hypothesis may explain the origin of two mysterious formations in the Earth's interior, called large low-velocity provinces (LLVP), which were first discovered in the 1980s. They are located under Africa and the Pacific Ocean and are distinguished by an increased density.
Qian Yuan, a geophysicist at the California Institute of Technology and lead author of the study, came up with the idea that LLVP could be remnants of Theia after attending a workshop on the giant impact hypothesis. After studying scientific papers that did not contain such proposals, Yuan presented his theory, which was initially rejected due to a lack of modeling.
However, further studies using higher-resolution models showed that if Theia had a certain size and density and collided with the Earth at a certain speed, then it could leave behind massive chunks of its" flesh " in the Earth's mantle, as well as form debris from which the Moon subsequently formed.
Yuan's research involves co-authors from various disciplines and institutions, including Arizona State University, the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, and NASA's Ames Research Center.
Despite the fact that the proposed hypothesis seems convincing and "even obvious in retrospect," as co-author of the study Steve Desh notes, it still remains a subject of debate among scientists. Other theories, for example, suggest that LLVPS may be accumulations of oceanic crust that have sunk into the depths of the mantle over billions of years.
Dr. Seth Jacobson, an assistant professor of planetary science at Michigan State University who was not involved in the study, says the new theory is undoubtedly exciting, but it won't be quickly accepted by the scientific community. Scientists, he said, will discuss this for a long time.
Many scientists agree that billions of years ago, an ancient planet called Theia collided with the Earth, which led to the formation of the Moon. However, no direct evidence of Theia's existence has yet been found, and it was assumed that all of its remnants mixed with Earth's matter during the planet's formation.
A new theory published in the journal Nature suggests that Theia's remains may have been preserved in the Earth's mantle. According to scientists, after the collision, molten fragments of Theia could have penetrated the Earth's mantle and solidified, leaving parts of the ancient planet's material at a depth of about 2,900 kilometers above the Earth's core.
This hypothesis may explain the origin of two mysterious formations in the Earth's interior, called large low-velocity provinces (LLVP), which were first discovered in the 1980s. They are located under Africa and the Pacific Ocean and are distinguished by an increased density.
Qian Yuan, a geophysicist at the California Institute of Technology and lead author of the study, came up with the idea that LLVP could be remnants of Theia after attending a workshop on the giant impact hypothesis. After studying scientific papers that did not contain such proposals, Yuan presented his theory, which was initially rejected due to a lack of modeling.
However, further studies using higher-resolution models showed that if Theia had a certain size and density and collided with the Earth at a certain speed, then it could leave behind massive chunks of its" flesh " in the Earth's mantle, as well as form debris from which the Moon subsequently formed.
Yuan's research involves co-authors from various disciplines and institutions, including Arizona State University, the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, and NASA's Ames Research Center.
Despite the fact that the proposed hypothesis seems convincing and "even obvious in retrospect," as co-author of the study Steve Desh notes, it still remains a subject of debate among scientists. Other theories, for example, suggest that LLVPS may be accumulations of oceanic crust that have sunk into the depths of the mantle over billions of years.
Dr. Seth Jacobson, an assistant professor of planetary science at Michigan State University who was not involved in the study, says the new theory is undoubtedly exciting, but it won't be quickly accepted by the scientific community. Scientists, he said, will discuss this for a long time.
