The blobs deep within Earth's mantle could be remnants of a proto-planet named Theia.
Theia is believed to have collided with Earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago, leading to the creation of the moon.
These blobs are hotter and denser than the surrounding rock and could be more iron-rich than Earth's normal mantle rock.
A recent study has proposed a new theory regarding the formation of the moon and the existence of two massive 'blobs' deep within the Earth's mantle. The study suggests that these blobs could be remnants of a proto-planet named Theia, which is believed to have collided with Earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago. This collision is thought to have resulted in the creation of the moon and left parts of Theia deep within the Earth's mantle.
These blobs, which are hotter and denser than the surrounding rock, have been a mystery to scientists since their discovery in the 1980s. The new study suggests that these blobs could be more iron-rich than Earth's normal mantle rock and similar in chemistry to lunar volcanic rock. Traces of these blobs could potentially make their way to Earth's surface with the aid of mantle plumes.
The research used computational fluid dynamics methods to suggest that these Large Low-Velocity Provinces (LLVP) deep in Earth's mantle could be relics of Theia. This challenges the conventional theory of the Moon's formation and suggests that the Earth's mantle is far from a uniform system, with small amounts of deep-seated heterogeneity brought to the surface by mantle plumes.
While this theory provides a potential explanation for the existence of these blobs and the formation of the moon, further research is needed to confirm these findings.
The study challenges the conventional theory of the Moon's formation and suggests that the Earth's mantle is far from a uniform system, with small amounts of deep-seated heterogeneity brought to the surface by mantle plumes.