The most ancient stone of the Earth was discovered... on the moon
Source:Analysis of the lunar soil brought back by astronauts of mission "Apollo-14", showed the presence of one of the samples of particles of minerals, whose origin is an international group of scientists from Sweden, Australia and the US connects with the Earth. The article describes the research published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Researchers believe that in their hands was a piece of a meteorite with the Earth that falls on the satellite of our planet about 3.9 billion years ago.
In the studied sample, called «Big Bertha», scientists have discovered fragments of quartz, zircon and feldspar. The presence of these minerals is quite typical for terrestrial species, but not for lunar soil. Scientists explain that even if we assume the lunar origin of the minerals in the investigated sample, to form they had no less than 167 kilometers, which is unlikely. In addition, for formation of these minerals requires the participation of oxygen.
"This is an extraordinary discovery, allowing us to draw a more complete picture of the early Earth and the system Earth-Moon as a whole" — says planetary scientist David Kring of the Institute of moon and planets.
So how does the earth's minerals been found in the lunar soil? Scientists suggest that about 4 billion years, when Earth was only about 540 million years, our planet could fall a small celestial body (meteorite or asteroid), which raised a part of the "breakaway" earth rocks into space.
Comparison of the distance between the Moon from the Earth
Since that time, the Moon was located three times closer to our planet than it is now, after some time, the breed settled on the moon's surface, specifically in the lunar crater Cone, where the "expected" all this time the expedition "Apollo-14".
Detection of particles of zircon in the sample is largely helped scientists, because this mineral contains uranium, whose half-life scientists are well known. Based on this, experts have determined that the rock was formed approximately 4-4,1 billion years ago, presumably at a depth of 20 kilometers.
The Researchers add that their assumption is the most likely of the obvious. At least, it is doubtful that the moon was ever so worldly conditions. However, to test the hypothesis will need new samples of lunar soil, which may also contain the minerals discovered. By the way, in the next decade, scientists may indeed be able to get them. Recall that NASA plans to not only return humans to the moon, but for a long time to gain a foothold there.
To Discuss the study in our .
Recommended
Can genes create the perfect diet for you?
Diet on genotype can be a way out for many, but it still has a lot of questions Don't know what to do to lose weight? DNA tests promise to help you with this. They will be able to develop the most individual diet, because for this they will use the m...
How many extraterrestrial civilizations can exist nearby?
If aliens exist, why don't we "hear" them? In the 12th episode of Cosmos, which aired on December 14, 1980, co-author and host Carl Sagan introduced viewers to the same equation of astronomer Frank Drake. Using it, he calculated the potential number ...
Why does the most poisonous plant in the world cause severe pain?
The pain caused to humans by the Gimpi-gympie plant can drive him crazy Many people consider Australia a very dangerous place full of poisonous creatures. And this is a perfectly correct idea, because this continent literally wants to kill everyone w...
Related News
Special camera showed how birds are guided in the trees
have you ever Wondered how birds manage to live and raise Chicks in the dense foliage of tall trees? Most of them , perfectly distinguish red, green and blue colors, but their vision is one feature that allows them to easily navig...
Scientists have debunked the myth of the relation between solar activity and climate change
the North Atlantic oscillation (NAO) or periodic large-scale climate changes in the Northern hemisphere of our planet do not depend on solar cycles. To such conclusion came from a team of American and canadian scientists, tried to...
The earth is under the eye of a supermassive black hole: should we be afraid?
the Supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* at the center of our galaxy, not only sucks in nearby objects, but also emits powerful radiation. Scientists have long tried to see these rays, but they interfered with the ambient light ...
The main type of wood affects the sound of the guitar?
Many musicians would say that acoustic guitar is capable of producing good sound only if it is made of the "right" tree. They usually involve an expensive wood, which is made from threatened extinction of trees. A new study sugges...
We don't do smart kids with CRISPR. Because I can't
Experts in the field of genetic research suggest that our worst fears about editing genes won't come true, because it's too difficult to implement. You see, one of the main concerns that cause the public method of editing genes is...
Human bones found previously unknown type of blood vessels
Previously, scientists found a lot of evidence that within the human bone has a complex system of circulation. If it was not, whereas, for example, emergency injections in the bone marrow wounded soldiers so quickly helped them ge...
Scientists: the immune system depends on the mathematical theory of chaos
the human body much is known, but the immune system is still under a veil of mystery. It would seem that it works as a well coordinated mechanism, but no — scientists have found that in its processes an important role is played by...
Russian scientists: Apophis could fall to Earth in 2068
In 2068 on the Ground can fall off the asteroid , says a report prepared by scientists of the Department of celestial mechanics St. Petersburg state University. The report are going to be on the Royal readings, which will be held ...
One more mystery found in fish that live in the "dead water"
In the nature there are special type of creatures called extremophiles. They differ from all other animals that can survive in extreme conditions, for example, in extremely hot places, or very salty waters. Scientists have discove...
The mystery of the Solar system: what causes the anomalies in the orbits of TRANS-Neptunian objects
somewhere in the far reaches of the Solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune, something weird is going on. A few small celestial bodies demonstrate the behavior that is not characteristic of other objects in our system, scientists...
Why anxiety affects the weight of the body: the response of scientists
I'm Sure many have noticed that when excessive anxiety a person begins to lose weight. Still no one could give this phenomenon a full explanation, but scientists from the research Institute of SCRIPPS found that the root cause is ...
A nearby supernova could destroy large animals millions of years ago
Despite the fact that floating in the void, she is not in a vacuum. The planet is constantly bombarded with all sorts of things from space, including a daily stream of micrometeorites and the radiation flux of the Sun and more dis...
The best place to search for dark matter can be the bowels of the Earth
Nearly two dozen underground labs around the world, lined with vats of liquid or blocks of metal and semiconductors, scientists are looking for traces of dark matter. Their experiments are getting harder and harder, and the search...
In "lost" lake in Antarctica found the remains of life
Reveal the secrets hidden in the history of the planet , can only be the work of many research groups. Each of them does their job — for example, SALSA was carefully studying the lake, hidden under thick layers of Antarctic ice. I...
For the land we will have self-driving cars. As for the seas?
Drones. Self-driving cars. Flying robotaxi. If you believe the headlines of the last few years, ground transportation in the future will replace the robotic coaches, and fixtures, requiring virtually no human intervention, unless ...
Scientists have created a robotic copy of ancient reptiles
Paleontologists around the world are trying to learn as much about the animal world of the past. They are trying to learn how animals looked, what they eat and how they move. Scientists from Switzerland and Germany took a big step...
On the moon killed the first plant
news Agency "Xinhua" with reference to the Chongqing University scientists reports that a single seed of cotton grown inside a special sealed capsule, delivered by the spacecraft "Chang'e-4" on the surface of the back side of the ...
We will all die from ice? Antarctica is melting before our eyes
the Problem of global warming , but recent studies by American and Dutch scientists are forced to look at it entirely from a different angle. According to the results published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science...
Astronomers spoke about the unique system with protoplanetary disk
Investigated using complex radio telescope ALMA, located in Chile's Atacama desert, a quadruple star system really surprised astronomers. It turned out that she has one feature that is never met in practice and up to this point ex...
A smartphone can be an effective radiation in case of nuclear disaster
In case of a nuclear accident personal electronics could be used as a reliable dosimeter radiation contamination, according to Science News, citing the work of scientists from the University of North Carolina, which will be publis...
Comments (0)
This article has no comment, be the first!