image source, Getty Images
An artist’s rendering of a giant meteorite crashing into the earth.
20 August 2022
One hypothesis in geology that has been around for many decades. A single primitive crust is believed to have split and expanded into “continents” following being hit by a giant meteorite billions of years ago.
Recently, this assumption has been proven to be true. by a team of scientists from Australia’s Curtin University revealed that They have found the first concrete evidence that confirms the validity of the idea. In zircon gems or crystals of the mineral zircon obtained from Western Australia.
The above findings, published in the Aug. 10 issue of Nature, may help solve the mystery that Why is Earth the only planet in the solar system with continents?
The composition of various oxygen isotopes was analyzed in zircon gems. Obtained from the Pilbara Craton Geological Research Site, this site features rock formations. Occupies an ancient crust that is more than 4 billion years old, believed to be the center of the formation of continents in the past.
Dr. Tim Johnson, who led the research team, said: “The results of the chemical composition analysis of the primitive Earth’s crust that are well preserved in zircon crystals revealing the process of continent formation starting from the top down The rocks at the surface of the Earth’s crust are first melted with high heat and gradually melted deeper. It is consistent with what happened when a giant meteorite hit the Earth.”
image source, Getty Images
An artist’s rendering of a giant meteorite crashing into the earth.
Meteorites are space rocks that fall to the earth. by surviving from being completely burned in the atmosphere Most of the meteorites were separated from larger asteroids some 4.6 billion years ago, when planets in the solar system were also born. causing the satellites of the Sun at that time There is a greater risk of being hit by a giant meteorite in the early days of the Solar System than it is today.
A giant meteorite hit the Earth that gave birth to a continent billions of years ago. It may have been as violent as a meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. which at that time the huge impact from the crash Causing Chicxulub Craters up to 10 kilometers wide off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
The new knowledge of the continent’s formation process was of great importance. Because it will help to enhance understanding regarding that matter. How are minerals and life forms scattered around the world the way they are today?
“The deposition of minerals in various sources is the result of differentiation processes in the Earth’s crust. It started with the formation of the oldest landmass, and Pilbara Craton is one of those places,” said Dr Johnson.
The research team plans to continue the study. To see if ancient tectonic regions in other countries have the same chemical composition data that indicate formation characteristics are similar to those in Australia. Initially, it was known that there were several geological research sites that had the same information. This will increase the credibility of the concept of the birth of a continent from a giant meteorite.
