New research explains how the earth became a living planet

The planetologists of the University of Munster (Germany) have now been able to show that the water came to Earth with the construction of the Moon approximately 4.4 billion years ago. The Moon was formed when the Earth was killed by a body about the size of Mars, which is also called Theia. So far, scientists had assumed that the thi was born in the inner solar system near Earth. However, Munster researchers can now show that Theia comes from the outer Solar System, and it has brought large amounts of water to the Earth. The results have been published in the current issue of Nature Astronomy.

From the outer interior to the solar system

The earth is made in 'dry' inner solar system, and therefore it is surprising that there is water on earth. To understand why this is the case, we have to go back to the time when the solar system was formed about 4.5 billion years ago. From earlier studies, we know that the solar system has been structured in such a way that the 'dry' material was separated from 'wet' materials: the so-called 'carbonees' meteorites, which are relatively rich in water, the outer Solar System The drying machines 'non-carbonosius' come from the meteorite internal solar system. While previous studies have shown that carbonaceous substances were responsible for watering the earth, it was unknown how and when it came to carbon-containing matter - and thus water - came to Earth.

"We have used molybdenum isotope to answer this question. Molybdenum isotope allows us to clearly distinguish carbonsius and non-carbonate content, and as such the 'genetic fingerprint of the material from the external and internal solar system' 'Represent,' Dr. Gerrit explains. Friends and students of the Institute of Planetology at Princeton.

The measurements made by Munster's researchers show that the molybdenum isotopic structure of the Earth is located between the carbon and non-carbon meteorites, which shows that some of the Earth's molybdenum resides in the outer Solar System. In this context, the chemical properties of molybdenum play an important role, because it is an iron-loving element, located in most of the Earth's molybdenum core.

"Molybdenum which is accessible today in Earth's mantle, therefore, is produced by the steps after the formation of the Earth, whereas molybdenum is completely in the core from the first stages," the second author of the study, Dr. Christopher Surchard explains. So the results of scientists for the first time show that carbonated substances from the outer Solar System arrived late on Earth.

But the scientists are going one step ahead. He explains that most of the molybdenum in the earth's mantel was supplied by protoplanet theia, of which 4.4 billion years ago the Moon was formed due to earth collision. However, since a large portion of molybdenum in the earth's mantle is produced from the external solar system, it means that theia itself is also derived from the external solar system. According to the scientists, conflicts made enough carbonous substances available to keep the entire amount of water on earth.

"Our approach is unique because, for the first time, it allows us to connect the origin of water on the earth with the formation of the moon." Simply put, without the Moon there will probably be no life on earth, "Thorsten says . Professor of Planet Science at Klein, University of Munster.