Yes Bill S it could but actually that gives PreEarth a big problem he can't have that energetic a merge otherwise the earth core temperature gets too hot and melts the mantle and ergo earth at that point is just a molten ball he loses all continents etc.

So the solar system is almost 5 billion years old but the merging of the two planets only occurred 250 million years ago. So for over 4.75 million years the two planets were completely stable and were in very close proximity orbitting each other as twins and then without any major event they simply merged into each other.

As I said good luck getting those orbital mechanics to work I have no problem that orbits can become unstable but the events that follow would always be violent. In preearths case they can't be violent or else no land mass shapes left for his patterns.

These claims are so unlikely you would need very good proofs because this sort of mechanism is so unlikely and never been seen if at all possible.

I would think you would also see magnetic field changes and momentum changes in earth. Think of an ice skater spinning, you have two masses coming in like a skater does with the arms eart would spin faster. These should be recorded in rocks and lavas from the period around earth. I see no such evidence presented.

To me I would want to see momentum and magnetic field changes at a very minimum at the proposed merge time before I even consider such a theory.

This all smacks of trying to fire two identical bullets from two identical guns at an infintesimal angle so the two bullets merged in flight. See you say it like that you can make a case ... I will take bets against it any day.

Last edited by Orac; 09/01/11 08:11 PM.
I believe in "Evil, Bad, Ungodly fantasy science and maths", so I am undoubtedly wrong to you.