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Most of the properties of the Earth-Moon system can be explained by acollision between a planetary embryo and the growing Earth late in theaccretion process. Simulations show that most of the material that eventuallyaggregates to form the Moon originates from the impactor. However, analysis ofthe terrestrial and lunar isotopic composition show them to be highly similar.In contrast, the compositions of other solar system bodies are significantlydifferent than the Earth and Moon. This poses a major challenge to the giantimpact scenario since the Moon-forming impactor is then thought to also havediffered in composition from the proto-Earth. Here we track the feeding zonesof growing planets in a suite of simulations of planetary accretion, in orderto measure the composition of Moon-forming impactors. We find that differentplanets formed in the same simulation have distinct compositions, but thecompositions of giant impactors are systematically more similar to the planetsthey impact. A significant fraction of planet-impactor pairs have virtuallyidentical compositions. Thus, the similarity in composition between the Earthand Moon could be a natural consequence of a late giant impact.

A primordial origin for the composition similarity between the Earth and the Moon