Scientists from the University of Münster in Germany have developed a new theory on the origins of Earth and Mars using meteorites that have traveled from the Red Planet and crash-landed on Earth, contradicting a previous theory.
Study lead author Christoph Burkhardt said that the meteorites were studied for several years before he started looking into the origins of Mars. He told Inverse that they realized meteorites have big implications for planetary information in general.
Earth and Mars Formation: Collision Between Moon-Sized Rocks Unknown to Science Formed the Two Planets
Theories on Planetary Origins
There are many theories about how the planets in the Solar System and their satellites were formed billions of years ago. The classic theory proposes that asteroids as big as the Moon and the Mars, also known as planetary embryos, once collided with each other regularly in the inner region of the Solar System and eventually formed into full-size planets.
Meanwhile, the theory of the origins of the Moon is also different from the planets. According to Natural History Museum, one theory is the capture theory that suggests it was once a wandering space rock that formed somewhere in the Solar System but was only captured by Earth's gravity.
The second one is the accretion theory that suggests the Moon and Earth were formed simultaneously. Lastly, the fission scenario said that the Moon came out from Earth after the planet spun so fast and since then started to orbit Earth.
Another theory on the origin of Earth and Mars suggests tiny pebbles from the outer region of the Solar System drifted inward toward the Sun and eventually accumulated, forming rocky planets. Scientists believe that this process plays a crucial role in forming the cores of giant planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn.
ALSO READ: Saturn's Special Magnetic Field and Helium Rain May Explain Gas Giant's Origin
Collisions of Moon-Sized Rocks Created Mars and Earth
Scientists analyzed a total of 0.77 ounces (22 grams) of material from 17 meteorites from Mars to see which theories best explain the formation of the rocky planets in the Solar System, Space.com reported. These Martian rocks blasted from the Red Planet during the ancient impacts of asteroids and eventually found their way to Earth.
Researchers examined the isotopic composition of the meteorites, comparing the levels of titanium, zirconium, molybdenum isotopes in the Martian rocks from the rocks on Earth. They found that both closely resembled the space rocks in the asteroid belt and only resembled about four percent of the material outside the Solar System.
The team noted that a large number of meteorites they analyzed helped overcome previous results from studies that only analyzed a small number of Martian rocks. Planetary scientist Burkhardt said that this shows Earth and Mars were formed from space rocks in the inner region of the Solar System.
They clarified that the theory on the accumulation of space rocks may have played a big role in the formation of planets near the Sun but likely only had a small role in the formation of rocky planets in the Solar System, like Jupiter. They believe Jupiter could have devoured materials outside the Solar System that would have typically drifted inward and toward the Sun.
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