What is the giant impact hypothesis for the origin of the Moon?
A)The Moon formed when two gigantic asteroids collided with one another.
B)The Moon originally was about the same size as Earth,but a giant impact blasted most of it away so that it ended up much smaller than Earth.
C)The Moon formed from material blasted out of the Earth's mantle and crust by the impact of a Mars-size object.
D)The Moon formed just like Earth,from accretion in the solar nebula.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The giant impact hypothesis proposes that the Moon formed from material that was ejected into space when a Mars-size object collided with the early Earth about 4.5 billion years ago. The collision would have blasted a cloud of debris into orbit around the Earth that eventually coalesced into the Moon.

What Is the Giant Impact Hypothesis for the Origin of the Moon