Researchers say the Moon was formed 4.425 billion years ago and is therefore 85 million years younger than scientists have thought until now. The difference would be due to an incorrect evaluation of the time it took for a mass of magma present on our satellite to solidify, explain the authors of a study published in Science Advances on July 10.
Experts from the German Aerospace Center and the University of Münster say they used a new numerical model to refine their estimate. "The results of our model show that the moon's magma ocean has lasted for a long time and that it took almost 200 million years to solidify completely and create the mantle", said in a press release Maxime Maurice , co-author of the work. "Other models gave a solidification duration of only 35 million years," explains Nicola Tosi, also involved in the study.
The linked destinies of the Moon and the Earth
"By comparing the proven composition of lunar rocks with the composition of the ocean of magma predicted by our model, we were able to trace the evolution of the ocean since its creation, when the Moon was formed", summarizes Sabrina Schwinger , another co-author.
Our file on the Moon
The researchers advance a different chronology therefore but evoke a succession of events in accordance with the most widely accepted hypothesis to explain the formation of the Moon. The protoplanet Theia would have collided with Earth while the latter was still young, generating debris at the origin of our natural satellite. The latter was subjected to such a level of heat that an ocean of magma 1,000 km long developed.
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