Our planet could appear according to a completely different scenario, which differs from the previously proposed versions.
In the early stages of the solar system, it took the Earth much less time to finally form. This conclusion was made by researchers from the University of Copenhagen after analyzing iron isotopes found in meteorites. This is reported by Science Alert.
According to the results of a new study, the Earth became a full-fledged planet in 5 million years - this is several times faster than previous models believed. An interesting fact remains that scientists are not yet completely sure how exactly the formation of planets proceeds. While there is a general picture: a huge cloud of dust and gas revolves around the stars, which eventually turns into a flat disk, the elements of which eventually become planets - therefore, objects in the Solar System are approximately in the same plane around the Sun.
Planets appear when particles of cosmic dust and stones coalesce - when they become larger, the force of gravity increases accordingly, which helps to attract more and more objects. Ultimately, such interactions lead to the appearance of planets. It was believed that this took several tens of millions of years, at least for the Earth.
The composition of the Earth differs from other objects in the solar system - it contains much less Fe-54, an isotope of iron. A similar composition is observed in carbonaceous chondrites.
If the Earth was formed over a longer period, its mantle would contain more remnants of various meteorites, including those with an increased Fe-54 content. Accordingly, the core of the planet should have appeared early enough due to the rain from cosmic dust. Scientists do not exclude that the rapid formation of planets like this may be just one of the factors that determine the appearance of life on them.
“If the theory of early planetary accretion (the process of increasing the mass of a celestial body by the attraction of matter. - Ed.) Is indeed correct, then water is most likely just a byproduct of the formation of a planet like Earth, it is more likely to find signs of life elsewhere in the Universe,”says cosmochemist Martin Bizzaro.