Scientists may have solved the mystery of the massive structures that surround Earth's core. The answer? The remnants of an ancient world from our solar system that smashed into our planet billions of years ago.
According to one theory of the formation of the moon, 4.5 billion years ago, an ancient world called Theia is believed to have crashed into the Earth.
Research suggests it was about the size of Mars but had a much higher density than Earth.
As a result, the mysterious planet broke through the earth’s crust, launching a giant fragment into space. Over time, this shard became rounded, turning into what we see today in the night sky.
In fact, this is all one of the theories, although it has considerable support from the scientific community. In recent decades, many similar studies have been carried out, which over time will allow the scientific community to develop a unified position on this issue. At the same time, the mysterious protoplanet Theia raises the most questions.
Massive structures from an ancient alien world surround Earth’s core
Scientists believe they have found evidence of this ancient collision between Earth and the ancient alien planet. This time, the search led to the center of the Earth, where a pair of mysterious structures surround its core in the lower layers of the mantle, one of which lies under Africa, and the other under the Pacific Ocean.
These formations look like giant drops and raise many questions. Moreover, they are denser than the rest of the mantle.
These dense “bubbles” are the largest structures in the earth’s mantle, occupying up to six percent of the planet’s entire volume. Scientists called them Large Low-Shear-Velocity Provinces (LLSVP).
The scientists behind the study considered the version of the grandiose collision that almost destroyed the planet 4.5 billion years ago but eventually led to the appearance of the Moon.
This hypothesis was considered by geologists from the University of Arizona, who spoke with it at the 52nd Lunar and Planetary Conference held online. Indeed, some evidence suggests that bubbles existed at least immediately after the collision.
Evidence
It is believed that the ancient alien world that collided with the Earth – Theia – was about three times smaller than it, approximately from modern Mars. However, University of Arizona geologist Steven Desch believes that Theia was much larger. The fact is that part of its material entered the composition of the Moon.
Analysis of lunar samples shows that the ratio of hydrogen isotopes – protium to deuterium – is higher in them than on Earth. To keep the excess of the lightest atoms, Desch argues, Theia must be a massive and dense body.
Modeling carried out by geologists showed that as a result of the impact, its core merged with the Earth’s, and separate clots of Theia’s dense mantle (1.5-3.5 percent denser than the Earth’s) could remain at the outer surface of the formed core.
Thus, LLSVPs may hide most of the lost planet: according to scientists, the total mass of the “bubbles” is six times the mass of the Moon. However, while this model remains only an early hypothesis, speculation, and needs to be developed and refined before we find out the true picture.
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Sources:
• Dockrill, P. (n.d.). Vast fragments of an alien world could be buried deep within the earth itself. =
• Morrison, R. (2021, March 24). Mysterious blobs of dense rock could be remnants of the ancient planet THEIA, study finds.
• Pettit, H. (2021, March 24). Blobs of rock beneath Earth’s surface may belong to alien PLANET, study claims. =
• Voosen, P., Vogel, G., Pennisi, E., Grimm, D., Cho, A., Moutinho, S., & Clery, D. (2021, March 24). =
• Yuan, Q., Desch, S., Ko, B., & Li, M. (n.d.). GIANT IMPACT ORIGIN FOR THE LARGE LOW SHEAR VELOCITY PROVINCES. [PDF].
