The Moon may not have originated from Earth.

(NLĐO) - Scientists from the US, France, and Germany have just found evidence that could overturn the hypothesis of an Earth-Theia-Moon "family."

New research led by Earth and planetary scientist Francis Nimmo from the University of California, Santa Cruz (USA) suggests that the Moon may be much older than we previously thought.

And the new age given in the publication in the journal Nature – 4.53 billion years old – could mean that this satellite is no longer a "child" of Earth and the planet Theia.

The Moon is Earth's only recognized natural satellite - Photo: NASA

In the most widely supported hypothesis today, scientists suggest that the Moon was formed from a collision between early Earth and the Mars-sized planet Theia.

This collision, estimated to have occurred around 4.35 billion years ago, caused the two Theias to shatter, and the early Earth suffered considerable damage. Much of the material from both planets blended together to form the single planet we know today, Earth.

Meanwhile, according to this hypothesis, some fragments were ejected into Earth's orbit and gradually coalesced to form the Moon with a global ocean before cooling into the rocky mass we see today.

But recently, a different picture has emerged from tiny zircon particles on the Moon.

Zircon crystals are considered "time capsules." When they form, zircon crystals incorporate uranium but strongly reject lead. However, over time, the radioactive uranium within the zircon decays into lead at a rate that is well understood.

Therefore, scientists can examine the ratio of uranium to lead in zircon crystals, and from that, calculate the time when these zircon particles began to exist.

However, Dr. Nimmo and his colleagues found much older zircon particles in samples from the Moon.

More specifically, among the crystals analyzed, two were older than the 4.35 billion-year mark set by the Theia planetary hypothesis: one crystal dated to 4.46 billion years old and another to 4.51 billion years old.

These crystals are also incompatible with the global magma ocean because that would prevent the formation and existence of zircon crystals.

Combining this with other evidence, the research team calculated that the actual age of the Moon must be approximately 4.53 billion years.

Previously, other studies had estimated the age of the Earth to be over 5.54 billion years.

Therefore, the relationship between these two celestial bodies must be one of "friendship" throughout their lifetimes; it is highly unlikely that one could give rise to the other, according to the authors' argument.

This discovery could help solve some intriguing mysteries, for example, the Moon having fewer impact basins than scientists expected based on the magnitude they estimated from Theia's impact.

This also raises concerns about the age of the enormous Antarctic-Aitken basin, which covers a quarter of the Moon's surface.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/mat-trang-co-the-khong-do-trai-dat-sinh-ra-19624122009501812.htm