The Moon’s Origin Reveals Earth’s Mysterious Interior Anomalies
Moon-forming impactor as a source of Earth’s basal mantle anomalies
Seismic images of Earth’s interior have uncovered large low-velocity provinces (LLVPs), enigmatic regions in the lower mantle. Researchers propose that these LLVPs might be remnants of Theia, a celestial body that collided with Earth, creating the Moon. Simulations suggest Theia’s mantle material integrated into Earth, forming dense blobs that accumulated into LLVPs. This discovery sheds light on Earth’s internal mysteries and suggests similar anomalies could exist in other planetary bodies.
Yuan, Q., Li, M., Desch, S.J. et al. Moon-forming impactor as a source of Earth’s basal mantle anomalies. Nature 623, 95–99 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06589-1
