Why the Moon's New Birthday Means the Earth Is Older Than We Thought

Daniel_Stuckey (2647775) writes You're likely familiar with the theory of how the Moon formed: a stray body smashed into our young Earth, heating the planet and flinging debris into its orbit. That debris coalesced and formed the Moon. The impact theory still holds, but a team of geochemists from the University of Lorraine in Nancy, France has refined the date, finding that the Moon is about 60 million years older than we thought. As it turns out, that also means the Earth is 60 million years older than previously thought, which is a particularly cool finding considering just how hard it is to estimate the age of our planet.

Origin story sounds familiar

[antifoidulus]

You're likely familiar with the theory of how the Moon formed: a stray body smashed into our young Earth, heating the planet and flinging debris into its orbit.

Isn't that how human babies are made too?

Re:Origin story sounds familiar

[Artifakt]

Why am I not surprised that the first post to this thread is from someone who doesn't know where babies come from?

Earth is 6000 years old

[h5inz]

Every1 knoes that the earth is 6000 years old! U MAD BRO?! Butthurt!

Re:Age of the earth

[Travis Mansbridge]

Duh, it's 6,000 years old.

Re:Earth is 6000 years old

[louic]

Yes of course. But these new findings show that it is 60 million years older than previously thought so it must be 60 million plus 6000 years.

Re:Origin story sounds familiar

[Neil Boekend]

It has ceased to be customary to hit your date with a rock before mating. These days that is frowned upon.

So how old then?

[Anonymous Coward]

"which is a particularly cool finding considering just how hard it is to estimate the age of our planet."

How would adding 60 million years to our current hard-to-estimate-estimate make that estimate any more accurate?

Creationist: "It's 6000 years old!"

Scientist: "It's 60 million years older!"

Creationist: "Ok then, it's 60006000 years old!"

Breaking news!

[BlackPignouf]

Breaking news!
Earth appears to be one year older (see 2014 paper) than previously thought (see 2013 paper).

Re:Earth is 6000 years old

[91degrees]

I have no rational response to that, so if you don't mind, I'd like to burn you as a heretic. Hold still please while I build a fire.

Re:Earth is 6000 years old

[rubycodez]

protip: he'll light up easier after closing time Saturday night

Re:Origin story sounds familiar

[FatdogHaiku]

Why am I not surprised that the first post to this thread is from someone who doesn't know where babies come from?

Exactly, everyone knows they come from storks.

I was trying to explain that to a park employee the other day...
he still made me let the stork go and pull my pants up...

Difficult to estimate the age

[hduff]

Given all the extensive cosmic surgery.