A new study proposes that the breakup of a large asteroid about 800 million years ago sent debris across the inner Solar System, striking Earth, the Moon and Mars. The research, led by the Southwest Research Institute, connects the event to a surge in lunar craters and possible environmental shifts on Earth.
The findings center on the Eulalia asteroid family. Researchers used models to show that fragments from the parent body's collision entered a gravitational resonance with Jupiter, scattering material inward.
Dr. William Bottke, lead author, noted that evidence on the Moon helps reconstruct what occurred on Earth. He said the heavily cratered lunar surface records large impacts that are harder to trace on our planet due to geological processes.
The timing overlaps with a period of global cooling and biological changes. The study suggests impacts may have contributed but does not prove causation.
Simulations indicate Earth received far more strikes than the Moon. Similar effects on Mars could have included seismic activity and volcanic surges.