Earth's Moon: Created By a Massive Impact or Natural Nuclear Explosion?

 Was the Moon formed after the impact of a massive object with the Earth, or as a new theory suggests, by a natural nuclear explosion in the Earth's mantle? 

The problem with the impact hypothesis is that simulations calculate the Moon should be composed of 80% impactor and 20% Earth, whereas in fact the isotope ratios of light and heavy elements found in Moon rocks so far examined are virtually identical to those on Earth.

The nuclear fission hypothesis is an alternative explanation for the formation of the moon, and it predicts similar isotope ratios in the Moon and Earth. 

The hypothesis (credited to Charles Darwin’s son George in 1879) is that the Earth and Moon began as a mass of molten rock spinning rapidly enough that gravity was just barely greater than the centrifugal forces. Even a slight kick could dislodge part of the mass into orbit, where it would become the Moon. The hypothesis has been around for 130 years, but was rejected because no one could explain a source of the energy required to kick a moon-sized blob of molten rock into orbit.

Dutch scientists Rob de Meijer (University of the Western Cape) and Wim van Westrenen (Amsterdam’s VU University) believe that the centrifugal forces would have concentrated heavy elements like thorium and uranium on the equatorial plane and at the Earth core-mantle boundary. If the concentrations of these radioactive elements were high enough, this could have led to a nuclear chain reaction that became supercritical, causing a nuclear explosion.

De Meijer and van Westrenen calculate the concentration of radioactive elements could have been high enough for a supercritical nuclear reaction to take place. After it became supercritical the Earth basically became a natural nuclear georeactor that exploded and ejected into orbit the lunar-sized blob that became the Moon.

The researchers suggest the hypothesis explains the identical isotopic composition of light and heavy elements, and further propose it could be tested, since the explosion would leave evidence such as xenon-136 and helium-3, which would have been produced in abundance in the georeactor. Confirmation will be complicated by the fact that solar wind deposits these isotopes onto the moon in vast quantities, and that would have to be compensated for.

Georeactors are known to have existed on Earth, such as that at Oklo in the Republic of Gabon in Western Africa, which was operating between 2.0 and 1.5 billion years ago.

Casey Kazan

Source: http://arxiv.org/abs/1001.4243

Comments

[dick]

The moon was captured by the Earth's gravity after a collision with another planet that was moving through our solar system.
The resulting collision moved the Earth into its present orbit and the part of the Earth that was torn off in the event is the asteroid belt.

[vincent]

i found this link about the "georeactor" at oklo in gabon
the author finishes with a rather strange conclusion, which makes me think some people have been smoking to much radio active isotopes and have a very bad case of brainrot.

http://www.pureinsight.org/node/960

As a matter of fact, many people today know that the reactor is a relic from a prehistoric civilization. It's probable that two billion years ago there was a fairly advanced civilization living at a place now called Oklo. This civilization was technologically superior to today's civilization. Compared to this huge 'natural' nuclear reactor, our current nuclear reactors are far less impressive.

[Khodran]

If earth once had a momentary and unsustainable nuclear bang from heavier radioactive elements, Jupiter made essentially of hydrogen is far more enormous in size and mass than earth, and hydrogen being easer to fuse and make nuclear fusion reaction, then Jupiter must have had devolved nuclear reaction process, "small engine maybe running at the center", Saturn too, the two planets are very far to receive enough sun energy, and yet they are hot, bright and have gaseous atmospheres, they seem to have their own power from within, nuclear engines at proportionate scale in them.... tiny stars!.

[BDubs]

Interesting article, Casey. It's too bad it looks like most of the people who read the stuff on Daily Galaxy and/or post comments are freakin' nuts and unable to articulate their insane hypotheses in coherent sentences. Who exactly is it that "knows" the Oklo natural fission reactor is the product of a hyper-advanced civilization two billion years ago? Oh, and the other two comments are just brilliant inferences that totally fit the observational data... not!

[gestalt]

"not" is equal to, or greater than "fail"

[BDubs]

Gestalt: thanks for clearing that up for the kids out there. That may be the first time "not" has been used in that context in the last five years, so I doubt anyone under the age of 18 understood what I meant. I probably should have said "fail", but it seems too direct, lacking the sarcastic setup and blatantly snarky conclusion "not!" carries...

[Khodran]

Next time will avoid making comments that might mislead the scientific community, they take comments seriously and they go by what we write here !!!... we have to be very careful what we write!…

[Jonathan Ainsley Bain]

moon is 60% the density of earth
sounds like its quite different
its just guesswork to conclude they are virtually the same

trying to accidently place a moon into orbit
via random collisions is virtually impossible

to have it placed precisely so that the tides are optimal,
and so that it eclipses the sun perfectly
is just a series of coincidences so bizarre
that it could never have happenned through randomness

the moon eclipsing the sun perfectly is perfect synchronicity
perfect design

even if you found big sculptured letters on the
dark side of the moon saying
'made by God'
that would be less evidence that it was designed
than the perfection of the eclipse

[Khodran]

Atheists mind made up although they can't explain how gravity governing all cosmos and Microsoft DNA was designed and made to drive all live.

[Khodran]

Mechanism is known but surly can't be made without a perfect designer and maker.

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[640-802]

The moon was captured by the Earth's gravity after a collision with another planet that was moving through our solar system.

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Atheists mind made up although they can't explain how gravity governing all cosmos and Microsoft DNA was designed and made to drive all live.

[Jacksonville Town Center]

I read something that said the moon was hollow. I really didn;t trust the source though.

[Jacksonville seo]

Something about the moon was towed in by aliens to counter balance the earth's gravitational pull and help kick start life. Sounds crazy probably because it is.

[Lester, Tricycle for Adults]

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