Yes, our planet has old wounds. Beats that came from space. The giant asteroids that struck Earth left their indelible marks. In some cases, they changed everything forever. Research found that they fell perhaps ten times more than previously thought. A veritable flood of collisions.
Traces in the stone
The study was presented at the Goldschmidt Geochemistry Conference. He says some impacts were the size of … a city! The earth’s early years were unimaginably violent. This could change the chemistry of the near-earth surface. And maybe its ability to harbor life.
The Chicxulub impact 66 million years ago proves it. It caused the dinosaurs to die out. Impact craters from similar collisions can be seen on the moon. Why not here? Due to atmospheric weathering and plate tectonics. But his trail appears in “spheres” found in ancient rocks: the huge impacts spat particles and molten vapors. Then they fell as small spherical glassy particles. The greater the impact, the greater the particle spread.
Much more impact
Simone Marchi works at the Southwest Research Institute (USA). He found that the current models of the first bombing of the earth fall short. “The true impact flow was ten times greater than previously assumed. This in the period between 3,500 and 2,500 million years. An impact like Chicxulub happened every 15 million years, ”he says.
Can this affect the development of atmospheric oxygen? “The oxygen content fluctuated dramatically during the intense exposure. It was vital to the development of the earth and life. Its possible association with collisions warrants further investigation.
The giant asteroids that hit Earth did not destroy it. On the contrary, they could promote life. A true space caramel with unexpected results.
