OMG - The Earth And Moon Are Still Young Pups!
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For many years now, it has been believed that our planet Earth is about 4.567 billion years old - Now, a new study conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge's Trinity College has revealed that we may have overestimated the date - by about 70 million years!
Earth and the rest of the planets in the Solar System were formed as a result of a series of collisions between small dwarf planets that were orbiting a newly formed sun. When they bumped into each other the resulting heat melted the cores and they fused together to form larger planets.
Scientists had previously calculated that Earth, an amalgamation of many small planets, had taken approximately 30 million years to get to its current size. It finally stopped forming when a planet the size of Mars, hit it and instead of fusing with it, broke off a chunk from the Earth's surface - resulting in what is now our moon! However, the time frame of 30 million years was based on the assumption that it all happened continuously - with no break in between.
A new study based on the pace of decay of atoms or isotopes of radioactive chemicals in the Earth's crust, suggests that while 60% of the Earth was formed within the first 10-40 million years, the remaining 40% took much longer - about 70 million years longer. Since the moon was formed at the very end, it too was declared 70 million years younger, than originally thought!
sources: tgdaily.com, thehindu.com,csmonitor.com
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81 Comments
- tim0706almost 10 yearscool
- shivi483almost 10 yearsWow that is so nice besides look at the picture it looks like the earth is sick and tired being earth and the sun is so happy and the moon is like it is shouting to earth to be night.
- jjcoolalmost 10 yearsahahaha i did not know that
- Lolover 10 yearsIt so cool
- Kolover 10 yearsThis is boring
- saryvinascoover 10 yearsthis is boring
- selina12105almost 11 yearsCool! I love this kind of science!
- friend304almost 11 yearsWEIRD
- kailynalmost 11 yearscool amazing wonderful
- CINTHIA_JUAREZ_about 11 yearsNever knew the earth stopped growing cause a planet the size of mars hit it.