The newborn Earth was struck by a Mars-size rock that helped create the moon, and the impact may have left behind continent-size remnants of the rock near Earth's core, a new study finds.
A supercomputer simulation has provided new evidence that continent-sized chunks of Theia, which helped create the moon, may still survive in the boundary between our planet's mantle and the core.
The study suggests the Earth's core may be leaking helium, upheaving the belief that the giant ball of molten iron at the center of our planet is sealed away.