Why is the Moon so similar to Earth? ⚡ экспресс
According to the giant-impact hypothesis, the Moon formed from debris after Theia collided with proto-Earth. But models show that over 40% of the disk was Theia material, while the Moon’s isotopic composition is nearly identical to Earth’s—this puzzle is called the lunar isotopic crisis. The authors suggest that Theia’s mantle was iron-rich, and as the layered magma ocean (molten layer) solidified, an upper crust formed from proto-Earth material, concealing Theia’s inner substance. Thus, the lunar surface naturally became isotopically similar to Earth.
The collision that birthed the Moon has long been puzzling: by all accounts, the cloud of cosmic dust after the impact was mostly Theia material. Yet when scientists read the chemical fingerprints of lunar rocks, they turned out nearly indistinguishable from Earth’s. The Moon flashes an Earth passport, but its suitcase is packed with alien stuff.
The answer lies in hidden layering. If Theia was richer in iron, its material was denser. The newborn Moon was a ball of molten rock. As it cooled, heavy Theian fragments sank, while lighter Earth-like ones floated up and solidified into crust. So the top layer inherited Earth’s composition, while the “filling” stayed foreign. If we could drill through the Moon, beyond the familiar crust we’d hit a layer of material from a vanished planet.
Similar processes likely occurred on other bodies in the galaxy, hiding the history of cosmic catastrophes deep inside.
🎯 If astronauts drilled deep enough into the Moon, they’d hit a layer with a completely alien chemistry — a real hello from vanished Theia.
🎬 Like in Jules Verne’s ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth,’ the Moon might harbor another world inside — not fictional, but a real shard of a vanished planet.