The Hidden Mystery of Earth's Mantle: What's Buried Inside?

Beneath the Earth's surface, buried deep within the mantle, lies a long-standing enigma that might hold the key to unraveling the ancient secrets of our Moon's birth. For over half a century, seismologists have been tracking two massive, continent-sized anomalies concealed beneath Africa and the South Pacific region. Now, new research suggests that these mysterious dense regions may contain the remnants of a cataclysmic event that took place more than 4.46 billion years ago - a colossal collision between Earth and a Mars-sized celestial body known as Theia.

The groundbreaking study, recently published in the esteemed journal Nature, offers a compelling narrative of this monumental celestial crash, its aftermath, and the enduring traces it may have left within our very planet. The findings could revolutionize our understanding of our celestial neighbor's formation and potentially shed light on some of the most profound questions in planetary science.

Lead author of the study, Caltech geophysicist Qian Yuan, explained the significance of the discovery. "The bottoms of these spots are located a staggering 2,900 kilometers below our feet, and each holds twice the mass of the entire Moon. They were detected through the field of seismology because seismic waves travel more slowly in these regions compared to the surrounding mantle. So, these spots are not only massive, but they have captured our scientific imagination."

The hypothesis posits that these enigmatic anomalies, concealed deep within the Earth, might house crucial remnants from the momentous celestial collision that gave birth to our Moon. This monumental event, now estimated to have occurred over 4.46 billion years ago, led to the ejection of a vast molten mass into Earth's orbit. This...