The finding reveals that major impacts during Earth's prehistory were not isolated events. Instead, these asteroid strikes were accompanied by a series of smaller hits both here and on the moon, whose surface is littered with over 9,000 craters left by space rock impacts.
The research could help astronomers better understand the dynamics of the inner solar system and assist in calculating the likelihood that our planet will be struck by potentially devastating massive space rocks in the future.
Scientists from Curtin University's Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC) in Australia obtained the results by studying microscopic glass beads within lunar soil samples returned to Earth by China's Chang'e-5 lunar mission in 2020.
These tiny glass beads were created by the intense heat and pressure generated by meteor strikes. This means researchers can reconstruct a timeline of lunar bombardment by assessing the ages of these beads.
While doing this, the SSTC team found that both the timing and the frequency of the asteroid impacts on the moon were mirrored by space rock strikes on Earth, meaning the timeline the team built could also provide insight into the evolution of our planet.
Source: www.space.com
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