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If the giant impact theory is correct, Theia must have been about the same size as Mars - roughly a tenth of the mass of the earth. Hence it would have a much l
by jbri 15y ago
If the giant impact theory is correct, Theia must have been about the same size as Mars - roughly a tenth of the mass of the earth. Hence it would have a much larger impact on the makeup of the moon than it would on the makeup of the earth - a difference we would expect to be able to detect if the theory is correct.
- Sharlin 15y agoIt would have a negligible impact on the makeup of the Earth as a whole, but should have a large impact on the composition of Earth's crust (and the mantle, to a lesser extent.) It seems to me that the Theia theory should also predict that Earth's crust and Moon's crust (which are the only parts we can get samples of!) have quite similar composition.