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Planetary science

A chronometer for Earth's age

Simulations of Earth's growth show a correlation between the timing of the Moon's formation and the amount of mass that Earth accreted afterwards. This relationship provides a way of measuring the age of our planet. See Letter p.84

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Figure 1: Earthrise from the Moon.

NASA

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Correspondence to John Chambers.

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Chambers, J. A chronometer for Earth's age. Nature 508, 51–52 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/508051a

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