The earth’s interior may hold relics of moon-forming mega impact

Subject: Geography

Section: Physical geography

In the news:

Seismologists have identified two large blobs in the earth’s mantle, one under Africa and the other under the South Pacific region.

Details:

These blobs may be remnants from a collision between the early Earth and a Mars-sized object called Theia, believed to have formed the moon over 4.46 billion years ago.
The impact released molten rock into space, which later coalesced to form the moon. Some fragments of Theia may have sunk into the earth, forming the mantle blobs.
Computer simulations supported this hypothesis, suggesting that most of Theia became part of the earth, while residual debris formed the moon.
The blobs are located about 2,900 kilometers below the earth’s surface and account for about 2% of the earth’s mass, with each being twice the mass of the moon.
If confirmed, these blobs could serve as evidence of the moon-forming collision on Earth.
The increased density of the blobs is attributed to their high iron content, and future lunar missions may help verify the model.

Significance:

Understanding the moon-forming impact can provide insights into the evolution of Earth and other rocky planets in our solar system, contributing to our understanding of Earth’s uniqueness as a habitable planet.

Source of this article: The Hindu