New insights into early terrestrial planet formation

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology have demonstrated that the relatively high levels of precious metals (gold, platinum, etc.) in the Earth's mantle likely originated from one large-scale planetary impact prior to the formation of the Earth's crust. This implies that the early Earth was a more benign place than previously thought, with fewer impacts from space. The findings are published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 4 October 2016.

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