Scientists have recently begun rediscussing a new theory that says an ancient planet likely smashed into Earth as it was forming billions of years ago, spewing debris that eventually formed into the moon and leaving remnants in our planet.
The theory, dubbed the giant-impact hypothesis, is widely agreed upon by scientists, but some questions have always remained, like where is the evidence of the other planet, Theia.
With no remnants of Theia being discovered in the solar system, scientists have long looked for proof of the theory, but scientists believe the remains of the planet blended into ours.
However, a new theory shared in a recent study suggests that the remnants of the planet are still intact and underneath our feet.
The study was published last week in the journal Nature and argues that molten slabs of Theia could have embedded themselves into the Earth’s mantle after impact, remaining intact billions of years later.
This would mean that portions of the ancient planet’s material are resting 1,8000 miles below the surface of the Earth, waiting for scientists to locate them and prove the theory correct.
In the 1980s, scientists discovered two massive and distinct blobs embedded deep within the Earth. The masses were named large low-velocity provinces, with one being located beneath Africa and another below the Pacific Ocean.
The LLVPs are thousands of kilometers wide, and scientists believe they are likely more dense than iron, which is what makes them stand out when measured by seismic waves.
The origin of the masses has long eluded scientists, but now, being paired with the giant-impact hypothesis, scientists believe both questions have been answered.
Dr. Qian Yuan, a geophysicist and postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology, led the new study. After being made aware of Theia years ago and previously knowing about the blobs, he began researching.
In the study, Yuan tapped on experts from all over, including those from NASA’s Ames Research Center, the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Caltech, and Arizona State, to help prove his theory that the blobs are actually pieces of another planet, preserved within the Earth for billions of years.
While the concept makes sense at the base level, Yuan shared in an interview with CNN that he expects pushback on the theory, stressing that the idea is “a hypothesis.”
“There’s no way to prove this must be the case,” Yuan said. “I welcome other people to do this (research).”