What is the name given to the Mars-sized protoplanet theorized to have struck the nascent Earth 4.5 billion years ago?

Answer

Theia

The scientific explanation for the formation of Earth's Moon, known as the Giant Impact Hypothesis, posits that a massive collision occurred early in the solar system's history. This hypothetical impactor, which was roughly the size of Mars, is specifically designated as Theia. The impact was catastrophic, vaporizing significant material from both the striking body and the early Earth, which then aggregated in orbit to form the Moon. The persistence of chemical anomalies deep within Earth's current mantle is often attributed to fragments of Theia that did not escape into orbit but instead plunged directly into the Earth's interior during this world-shaping event, making Theia the direct ancestor of these deep structures.

What is the name given to the Mars-sized protoplanet theorized to have struck the nascent Earth 4.5 billion years ago?

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Related Questions

What is the name given to the Mars-sized protoplanet theorized to have struck the nascent Earth 4.5 billion years ago?Where are the two colossal, chemically distinct provinces identified by seismology situated deep within the lower mantle?Which seismological technique uses the speed and reflection of seismic waves to map the Earth's interior structure in three dimensions?What geological feature, sharing Earth's orbit at the L4 and L5 points 60 degrees ahead and behind, is mentioned as a concept distinct from matter inside Earth?If the deep mantle anomalies are indeed remnants of Theia, what compositional evidence might confirm this link by comparison with other extraterrestrial samples?What specific measurement variation, related to directional speed of seismic waves, might provide a secondary signature for confirming the Theia origin?What physical property, besides chemical distinction, characterizes the LLSVPs when measured by seismic wave travel time variations?What extreme conditions characterize the lower mantle where the potential Theia remnants reside, posing challenges for analysis?What implication does the preservation of large, chemically isolated bodies like the African and Pacific anomalies suggest about the Earth's deep interior over geological time?What is the likely ultimate consequence if isotopic signatures in the deep blobs match the building blocks of the Moon?
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