There are several hypotheses regarding how the Earth and Moon were created, and the majority of them include a massive collision. They range from one in which the hitting object gives the freshly formed Earth a passing glance before escaping to another in which both the impactor and the Earth are annihilated as a result of the extremely energetic collision.
Researchers from the Universities of Leeds and Chicago have now examined the dynamics of fluids and electrically conducting fluids and come to the conclusion that the Earth must have been magnetized either prior to or as a result of the collision.
They assert that this may serve to clarify existing hypotheses regarding the formation of the Earth and Moon and guide future investigations into what actually transpired.
This is initially startling, as prior hypotheses did not take into account this potentially significant relationship.
This updated evaluation is based on the Earth’s magnetic field’s resilience, which is preserved by a geodynamo, a revolving fluid that conducts electricity in the outer core.
According to University of Chicago astronomer Professor Fausto Cattaneo, “the Earth’s dynamo has the odd ability to retain a high magnetic field but not to magnify a weak one.
The researchers came to the conclusion that the Earth’s magnetic field would not be able to turn on again even if it were to be completely turned off or lowered to a very small level.
Professor Cattaneo continued, “It is this amazing trait that allows us to draw conclusions about the history of the early Earth, including, perhaps, how the Moon was formed.
And if that is the case, Professor Hughes continued, one must consider where the Earth’s magnetic field originated in the first place.
“Our theory is that it reached this odd state long ago, either prior to the collision or as a direct result of the impact.
“In any case, the evolution of the magnetic field is a necessary component of any plausible account of the genesis of the Earth-Moon system. “
