Violent Impact That Created Moon Mixed Lunar and Earth Rocks

The colossal impact that created the moon may have spawned the cosmic mashup between the rocks that ultimately became Earth and its lunar neighbor, researchers say. Previous research suggested that about 100 million years after the solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago, the newborn Earth was hit by a Mars-size rock named Theia, named after the mother of the moon in Greek myth. Now scientists find evidence that the rocks that went on to become Earth and the moon were thoroughly mixed together