Moon’s age: 4.47 billion!
- A team of researchers from France, Germany and the US have concluded that the Moon is 4.47 billion years old and was formed close to 100 million years post the start of the solar system.
- This was based upon the analysis of about 259 simulations of the growth of Mercury, Earth and Mars (terrestrial planets) from disk of numerous planetary building blocks orbiting the sun. The relationship between the time the Earth was struck by a Mars-sized object that led to creation of the Moon and the amount of material added to it after the impact was found and the age calculated.
- This geologic clock is the first of its kind to determine the age without measurements and analysis of the radio active decay of atomic nuclei.
Exams Perspective:
- Radio Active Decay
- Geological Clock
- Terrestrial planets
- Simulation