HARROW: If a Mercury-like planet had not collided with Earth billions of years ago, our planet would probably not have developed a magnetic field, which would have allowed too much cosmic radiation to hit the surface for life to develop and flourish, scientists from the University of Oxford say.
The researchers, who work at the University’s Department of Earth Sciences, published details of their latest study in the journal Nature.
Prof. Bernard Wood and Dr. Anke Wohlers say that after analyzing elements that form the Earth’s core and mantle, a major impact must have occurred with a Mercury-like planet a long time ago, which caused Earth’s core to heat up.
The Earth’s core is hot, this heat drives the circulation of molten iron in the centre of the planet, which in turn generates the magnetic field that deflects the harmful cosmic radiation so that it does not hit the surface of the planet.
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