Long-lost planet
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Researchers have uncovered an intriguing discovery deep within the Earth’s core – remnants of a long-lost planet that once collided with our own world billions of years ago.
Beneath Africa
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Initially identified as large low-velocity provinces (LLVPs) in the 1980s, these peculiar material blobs, found beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean, puzzled scientists for decades.
Cataclysmic event
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Recently, a breakthrough revealed that these enigmatic blobs are actually the remnants of an ancient planetary body that merged with Earth during the same cataclysmic event that led to the formation of the moon.
Missing link
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This revelation, detailed in a study published in Nature on November 1, sheds light on the missing link from the collision that birthed the moon, hinting that the absorbed planet could have given rise to the mysterious blobs beneath our planet’s surface.
Planet formation
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During a seminar on planet formation hosted by Arizona State University’s Professor Mikhail Zolotov in 2019, Qian Yuan, the O.K. Earl Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate and head of the study, was inspired to delve into this research endeavor.
Eureka moment
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“Right after Mikhail had said that no one knows where the impactor is now, I had a ‘eureka moment’ and realized that the iron-rich impactor could have transformed into mantle blobs,” Yuan said in a release detailing the study’s findings.
Distinct pattern
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In the 1980s, geophysicists identified the LLVPs by analyzing seismic waves, revealing a distinct pattern in the Earth’s deep mantle.
Decelerate
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The seismic data indicated a high iron content in the two structures, causing the waves to decelerate. Qian Yuan, in his investigations, explored various scenarios regarding Theia’s fate and its influence on Earth.
Theia’s mantle
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It was concluded that the collision potentially gave rise to both the moon and the mysterious blobs. Theia’s mantle might have merged with Earth’s mantle, solidifying over time to create the enigmatic blobs we observe today.
Consequence
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“A logical consequence of the idea that the LLVPs are remnants of Theia is that they are very ancient,” Paul Asimow, the Eleanor and John R. McMillan Professor of Geology and Geochemistry, who also worked on the research, said in a release.
Evolution
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“It makes sense, therefore, to investigate next what consequences they had for Earth’s earliest evolution, such as the onset of subduction before conditions were suitable for modern-style plate tectonics, the formation of the first continents, and the origin of the very oldest surviving terrestrial minerals,” Asimow said.
