247 D17. Recent Advances in Planetary Geology (Posters)

Wednesday, 25 September 2024
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Hall D

ORIGIN OF WATER ON EARTH FROM THEIA: UNVEILING A NOVEL HYPOTHESIS

Paper number: 247-12
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Authors

  • Merry Ma
    College of Art and Science, East Setauket, NY
  • Wei Zhu
    Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
  • Yeming Ma Presenting Author
    Johnson and Johnson, Lower Gwynedd Township, PA
  • Yeming Ma Presenting Author
    Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY

Abstract

The origin of water on Earth is a mystery. Numerous theories exist, most of which fall into two categories: Earth was born with the molecular precursors of water already present, or water-laden asteroids and comets brought water here after the planet’s formation. The origin of water on Earth could be mystified by complicated interdisciplinary evidence from geology, planetary science, and astronomy.

Earth, our home, was born about 4.54 billion years ago. The Earth formed in the 'dry' inner solar system, so it is somewhat surprising that there is water on Earth. However, a fascinating possibility emerges. About 4.51 billion years ago, a Mars-sized protoplanet named Theia is believed to have plowed into Earth. Some of Earth’s mantle was melted, and material left over from the collision formed the Moon. Could Theia, in its cataclysmic encounter with Earth, have brought water to our planet, shaping the essence of life as we know it? Substantial evidence from the “bone-try” soil on the Moon, the oldest mineral, zircon, suggests a mantle provenance of water more than 4.4 billion years ago. Analyzing all the evidence together would unmistakably unveil the obscure origin of water on Earth.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 56, No. 5

doi: 10.1130/abs/2024AM-401517

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