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Oxygen isotopic evidence for vigorous mixing during the Moon-forming giant impact
Edward D Young1, Issaku E Kohl1, Paul H Warren2
1Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. eyoung@epss.ucla.edu ikohl@epss.ucla.edu.
Abstract:
Earth and the Moon are shown here to have indistinguishable oxygen isotope ratios, with a difference in Δ'(17)O of -1 ± 5 parts per million (2 standard error). On the basis of these data and our new planet formation simulations that include a realistic model for primordial oxygen isotopic reservoirs, our results favor vigorous mixing during the giant impact and therefore a high-energy, high-angular-momentum impact. The results indicate that the late veneer impactors had an average Δ'(17)O within approximately 1 per mil of the terrestrial value, limiting possible sources for this late addition of mass to the Earth-Moon system.
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