Moon may be made from Earth's magma

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT — A new study suggests that the Moon might have been formed after a Mars-sized rock hit a magma-covered proto-Earth.

According to Space.com, the moon's formation is typically explained through the 'Giant Impact Hypothesis'. This theory suggests that the moon is a result of a collision between early Earth and another embryonic planet roughly the size of Mars called Theia.

Computer simulations indicate that if this theory were true, 60 percent of the moon would be made from sediments from Theia. However, samples of lunar material show more similarities with sediments from Earth.

A new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience poses another hypothesis. Researchers participating in the study explain that roughly 50 million years ago early Earth was covered in magma when it was hit by a solid object.

Through a computer simulation, they observed that as the object hit Earth, magma from the Earth's surface expanded and went into orbit, forming the moon.

According to their model, roughly 80 percent of the resulting moon is made up of proto-Earth materials.

Study lead author Natsuki Hosono told Space.com, quote, 'Prior work on lunar formation basically ignored the effect of the magma ocean. Our research concluded that the magma ocean is one of the most important things for the moon-forming giant impact.'