Researchers claim the moon formed 4.4 – 4.45 billion years ago

Sep 23, 2013 18:31 GMT  ·  By

Scientists speaking at a recent meeting of the Royal Society in London announced that, according to recently uncovered evidence, it was likely that the moon was considerably younger than previously estimated.

More precisely, researchers claim that our planet's satellite formed some 4.4 – 4.45 billion years ago, instead of 4.56. This means that the moon is about 100 million years younger than believed.

International Business Times explains that, if this is indeed the case, researchers might find themselves with no choice except having to reconsider other long-held assumptions concerning our planet's history.

More so given the fact that the moon is said to have formed when a planet hit Earth and caused chunks of it to go flying through space.

“There are several important implications of this late Moon formation that have not yet been worked out, for example, if the Earth was already differentiated prior to the giant impact, would the impact have blown off the primordial atmosphere that formed from this earlier epoch of Earth history?” Richard Carlson with the Carnegie Institution of Washington said.

The researchers now saying that the moon could be 100 million years younger than believed base their claim on data gathered while analyzing the makeup of rocks collected from its surface.