Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2010-01-24
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
22 pages, no figures
Scientific paper
Recent high-precision measurements of lunar samples show a very high degree of similarity between the elemental and isotopic compositions of Earth mantle and the Moon. This similarity, which is exhibited by both light and heavy elements and their isotopes, is difficult to reconcile with the currently favoured giant impact hypothesis for lunar formation. We propose an alternative explanation for the compositional correspondence, namely that the Moon was formed from the ejection of terrestrial mantle material in a heat-propelled jet, triggered by a run-away natural georeactor at Earth core-mantle boundary. The energy produced by the run-away reactor supplies the missing energy term in the fission hypothesis for lunar formation first proposed by Darwin (1879). Our hypothesis straightforwardly explains the identical isotopic composition of Earth and Moon for both lighter (oxygen, silicon, potassium) and heavier (chromium, neodymium and tungsten) elements.
de Meijer R. J.
Westrenen van W.
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