Publications and Research
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2020
Abstract
The start of the Earth-Moon system has been studied to show that this was an exceptionally violent event. One result was that Earth became the terrestrial planet with the highest average density. Another result was that Earth acquired enough mass and radioactive elements that it is expected to maintain a molten core region and magnetic field for the expected life of the Earth. Earth alone of the terrestrial planets was then able to develop plate tectonics as a long term energy release mechanism. The dipole magnetic field of the Sun reverses periodically, currently at the rate of about every 11 years, so that there was a magnetic braking action acting on the core of Venus that ac-counts for the slow rotation of that planet. A key result is that the impact event that resulted in the Earth-Moon system led to long term stability on Earth that allowed the eventual development of complex life forms on the Earth.
Comments
Originally published as: Cadieu, Fred J. "Just a Bit of Physics Can Tell So Much: A Unique Story of the Start of the Earth-Moon System." World Journal of Condensed Matter Physics, vol. 10, 2020, pp. 88-103.
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