Scientists have solved the mystery about the origins of our moon. New isotopic analysis has revealed that the moon was forged from the young Earth's mantle billions of years ago.

Past studies and models had indicated that the moon originated from another planetary body the size of Mars and Earth.

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This model also explained how the moon acquired its distinct shape and features including its overall shape and rotation.

Past research also claimed that the moon's composition was mostly made from its impactor. In this new study, this model is debunked by new isotopic evidence, suggesting that Earth and lunar samples have almost similar concentrations of three oxygen isotopes.

What are isotopes? They are chemical signatures similar to fingerprints that are present in the planetary objects within the solar system.

The new findings are the most precise isotopic measurements yet, according to geochemist Kun Wang from the Washington University in St. Louis, Adding that they are still identical.

The researchers have proposed a theory that a high energy impact must have vaporized most of proto-Earth, which created a massive magma atmosphere which mixed Earth materials and its impactor. During this melted rock haze, the Earth slowly healed and reformed as the moon was also born.

This new analysis reveals potassium isotope levels supporting this high energy impact theory that are both found in lunar and terrestrial rocks and material.

According to Wang, this heavy potassium isotope embedded in lunar rocks and on the Earth can be best explained as a result of an incomplete condensation of bulk silicate vapor. However, enrichment of lunar rocks with heavier potassium isotopes cannot be explained by a silicon vapor atmosphere.

The researchers concluded that their K isotope results are inconsistent with low energy disk equilibrium model, but supports a high energy, high angular momentum giant impact model for the origin of the moon.

This new study has been published in the journal Nature.