iSALE3D simulations of oblique impacts on Earth and moon-like layered targets track ejecta and impactor material.

iSALE3D simulations of oblique impacts on Earth and moon-like layered targets track ejecta and impactor material.

Credit: Thomas Davison and Gareth Collins

Near-surface material ejected at high speed (white tracer) is tracked to assess the conditions for transfer of rocks and biomarkers between planets; deeper, mantle materials (blue tracer) are tracked to determine the provenance of compositional anomalies in and around impact craters; and impactor core material (red tracer) is tracked to constrain impactor-target mixing.