T22 Innovative Ideas in Tectonics of Earth and Other Planetary Bodies I: a Session in Memory of An Yin

Sunday, 22 September 2024
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
304C

THE ORIGIN OF TECTONICS AND MOON CRUST

Paper number: T22-5
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:55 AM – 9:10 AM

Authors

  • Merry Ma Presenting Author
    College of Art and Science, East Setauket, NY
  • Wei Zhu
    Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY

Abstract

How the tectonic plates were initially formed is always at the center of plethora of problems tectonics theory faced since 1912 when Wagner first proposed the continental drift idea. The authors proposed here a new hypothesis about the giant collision of proto-earth with Theia, which formed Moon, did not melt the crust of the proto-earth. The continental crust of the Earth, and the high land of the Moon were originated from the crust of the proto-earth, which is evidenced by the similar geographical morphology and geochemical composition between the two geoformations. Similarly, the oceanic crust of the Earth, and the mare low land of the Moon also shared a common origin.

The hypothesis comprised two principles. The first principle was the thermal conduction on the surface of the pro-earth could not be evaporated or melted during the giant collision when we analyzed the thermal gradient at the across the large geographical distances. And the 2nd principle was abundance of water content of Theia, which was the origin of water on the Earth, and served as a "lubricative" layer during the giant collision. This second part was in another paper submitted to this conference.

This novel hypothesis was to address the unique formation of tectonics of the Earth and Moon in contrast to other terrestrial planets, in particular the reason that there were no water on any on Mercury, Venus, and Mars.

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

doi: 10.1130/abs/2024AM-403581

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