Oxygen Isotopes and the Moon-Forming Giant Impact

@article{Wiechert2001OxygenIA,
  title={Oxygen Isotopes and the Moon-Forming Giant Impact},
  author={U. Wiechert and A. Halliday and D.-C. Lee and G. Snyder and L. Taylor and D. Rumble},
  journal={Science},
  year={2001},
  volume={294},
  pages={345 - 348}
}
We have determined the abundances of 16O,17O, and 18O in 31 lunar samples from Apollo missions 11, 12, 15, 16, and 17 using a high-precision laser fluorination technique. All oxygen isotope compositions plot within ±0.016 per mil (2 standard deviations) on a single mass-dependent fractionation line that is identical to the terrestrial fractionation line within uncertainties. This observation is consistent with the Giant Impact model, provided that the proto-Earth and the smaller impactor planet… Expand
View on AAAS
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
317 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
20
Background Citations
100
Methods Citations
19
Results Citations
8

317 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

A non-terrestrial 16O-rich isotopic composition for the protosolar nebula
TLDR
A precise determination of the oxygen isotopic composition of the solar wind from particles implanted in the outer hundreds of nanometres of metallic grains in the lunar regolith is reported. Expand
Oxygen Isotopes and Sampling of the Solar System
Oxygen is the dominant element in our planetary system. It is therefore remarkable that it shows substantial isotopic diversity both in mass-dependent fractionation, because it is a light element,… Expand
Oxygen isotope constraints on the origin and differentiation of the Moon
We report new high-precision laser fluorination three-isotope oxygen data for lunar materials. Terrestrial silicates with a range of δ 18 O values (−0.5 to 22.9‰) were analyzed to independently… Expand
Tungsten isotopes and the origin of the Moon
Abstract The giant impact model of lunar origin predicts that the Moon mainly consists of impactor material. As a result, the Moon is expected to be isotopically distinct from the Earth, but it is… Expand
The oxygen isotope composition of earth's oldest rocks and evidence of a terrestrial magma ocean
[1] Analysis of Hadean and Archean rocks for 16O-17O-18O isotopes demonstrates that the Terrestrial Mass Fractionation Line of oxygen isotopes has had the same slope and intercept for at least the… Expand
Isotopes as tracers of the sources of the lunar material and processes of lunar origin
  • K. Pahlevan
  • Geology, Medicine
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
  • 2014
TLDR
The development of new isotopic tracers sensitive to processes in the melt–vapour lunar disc are discussed and theoretical calculations of their behaviour and sample observations can constrain scenarios of post-impact evolution in the earliest history of the Earth–Moon system. Expand
Forming the Moon from terrestrial silicate-rich material
Abstract Recent high-precision measurements of the isotopic composition of lunar rocks demonstrate that the bulk silicate Earth and the Moon show an unexpectedly high degree of similarity. This is… Expand
Distinct oxygen isotope compositions of the Earth and Moon
The virtually identical oxygen isotope compositions of the Earth and Moon revealed by Apollo return samples have been a challenging constraint for lunar formation models. For a giant impact scenario… Expand
Zirconium isotope constraints on the composition of Theia and current Moon-forming theories
The giant impact theory is the most widely recognized formation scenario of the Earth's Moon. Giant impact models based on dynamical simulations predict that the Moon acquired a significant amount of… Expand
Oxygen isotopic evidence for vigorous mixing during the Moon-forming giant impact
TLDR
The results indicate that the late veneer impactors had an average Δ′17O within approximately 1 per mil of the terrestrial value, limiting possible sources for this late addition of mass to the Earth-Moon system. Expand
...
1
2
3
4
5
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 13 REFERENCES
The oxygen-isotopic composition of Earth and Mars
Abstract— The small difference between the O-isotopic mass fractionation lines of the Earth and Mars has been measured precisely using a laser fluorination system. The precision achieved from the two… Expand
The oxygen‐isotopic record in enstatite meteorites
— Oxygen-isotopic compositions were determined for a suite of enstatite chondrites and aubrites. In agreement with previous work (Clayton et al., 1984), most samples have O-isotopic compositions… Expand
Oxygen isotope studies of achondrites
Abstract Oxygen isotope abundances provide a powerful tool for recognizing genetic relationships among meteorites. Among the differentiated achondrites, three isotopic groups are recognized: (l ) SNC… Expand
Fluid flow in chondritic parent bodies: deciphering the compositions of planetesimals
TLDR
Down-temperature flow of aqueous fluid within planetesimals is sufficient to explain the mineralogical and oxygen isotopic diversity among CV, CM, and CI carbonaceous chondrites and displacement of the terrestrial planets from the primordial slope 1. Expand
From interstellar gas to the Earth‐Moon system
— This paper reports the current status of my smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH) simulations of the formation of the Moon. Since the Moon has recently been found to have been formed approximately… Expand
The origin of the moon and the single-impact hypothesis III.
Abstract Previous papers in this series have described the smoothed particle hydrodynamics method (SPH) which we have employed to explore the conditions in which a major planetary collision may have… Expand
Early solar system timescales according to 53Mn-53Cr systematics
We present results of a study of the 53Mn-53Cr systematics in various solar system objects: angrites, eucrites, chondrites, diogenites, pallasites, the Earth and the Moon, and SNC meteorites. The… Expand
A Component of Primitive Nuclear Composition in Carbonaceous Meteorites
TLDR
The oxygen of anhydrous, high-temperature minerals in carbonaceous meteorites is strongly depleted in the heavy stable isotopes 17O and 18O and probably results from the admixture of a component of almost pure 16O. Expand
Origin of the Moon in a giant impact near the end of the Earth's formation
TLDR
This work reports a class of impacts that yield an iron-poor Moon, as well as the current masses and angular momentum of the Earth–Moon system, and suggests that the Moon formed near the very end of Earth's accumulation. Expand
UWG-2, a garnet standard for oxygen isotope ratios: Strategies for high precision and accuracy with laser heating
UWG-2 is a new garnet standard for oxygen isotope analysis prepared from a single large porphyroblast that was homogeneous (±0.21‰) at the millimeter-scale before grinding. The δ 18O value of UWG-2… Expand
...
1
2
...