Re: How did the collision that formed the moon affect plate tectonics?

Hello Susan,

The collision that formed the moon is thought to have happened very near the time of the Earth's formation; the Earth was probably still molten.

There was certainly a dramatic reaction! The Earth was very severely disturbed by the impact, as you can see in some really cool images here. (Also read the excellent article at this link.) Remember, the dinosaurs were killed by a puny 10-km comet or asteroid; the impactor that created that moon must have been something like half the diameter of the Earth! Any surface features that might have existed were completely obliterated.

-Ben Monreal