Understanding the past of the Earth is of great importance for making accurate predictions about its future. Some of the studies carried out for this purpose aim to reveal the processes through which our planet came to be as we know it today.
It is known that there was only one continent called Pangea on our planet in the past. Later on, different theories have been put forward about how this continent broke up. The most important evidence supporting the claim that the continents were separated by the meteor impact, which is among these theories, was announced recently.
Giant meteorites could be what made continents
Curtin School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Dr. Tim Johnson announced that they examined the small zircon crystals in the stones found in the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia and found the traces of a huge meteor impact. This region is known as one of the best preserved places of the original crust of the Earth.
The scientist, who worked on the zircon isotopes in this region, announced that they discovered that the oxygen atoms in the structure were connected in the opposite way. This means that the rocks are exposed to extreme heat, starting at the surface and going deep. This can only be explained by a large meteor impact.
Dr. Johnson says it’s crucial to understand how our planet’s structure was formed and its ongoing change. According to the researcher, landmasses contain almost all humans, most of the living mass and almost all minerals.
Dr. Tim Johnson’s research was published in the journal Nature on August 10, 2022.
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