Oxygen Isotopes and the Moon-Forming Giant Impact
@article{Wiechert2001OxygenIA,
title={Oxygen Isotopes and the Moon-Forming Giant Impact},
author={Uwe Wiechert and Alexander N. Halliday and D.-C. Lee and Gregory A. Snyder and L. A. Taylor and Douglas Iii 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…
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