A number of scientists claimed that huge meteorites collided with the Earth and contributed to the formation of its continents.
Recent research found that our planet was bombarded by a barrage of space objects in its first billion years of existence, which helped determine the shape of its surface.
In fact, for decades researchers have assumed that such meteorite impacts helped shape the planet’s continents. But until today, they had insufficient evidence to support their hypothesis.
Now, researchers have succeeded in examining ancient meteorites, and the role they played in the history of our planet.
Dr Tim Johnson, from Curtin University in Australia, said: “By examining and studying small crystals of the mineral ‘zircon’ in rocks taken from the Pilbara Craton. [جزء غابر القدم من الغلاف الصخري القاري الموجود في بيلبارا Pilbara] It is located in Western Australia, and is considered the most pristine continental remnant on the planet since ancient times. We found evidence confirming the hypothesis of giant meteorite collisions.
read more
This section contains related articles, placed in the Related Nodes field.
He added, “The study of the oxygen isotope compositions in these zircon crystals revealed a descending process that starts ‘from the bottom up’, starting from the melting of rocks near the surface of the Earth and its progression towards deeper rocks, which matches the geological effect left by the collisions of giant meteorites.”
Dr Johnson noted, “Our research provides the first compelling evidence that the transformations that eventually shaped the continents began with giant meteorite impacts on Earth, such as the meteorite impacts responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, which occurred on the planet billions of years ago.”
In addition to determining the shape of our planet, the composition of the continents is a major factor in other ways. The land masses on Earth remain home to most of the biomass, humans, and important minerals on the planet.
“Especially because the continents are home to important minerals such as lithium, tin and nickel, which are essential for emerging green technologies that are green and essential to fulfilling our commitment to mitigating climate change,” said Dr. Johnson.
It is noteworthy that details about the results of the research are available in a scientific paper entitled “Giant Collisions and the Origin and Evolution of Continents,” published by the journal Nature.