Caption: 
Two frames that show a mapping of final material states of the Moon-forming impact event animation shown above. Here it is assumed that a Mars-sized protoplanet, defined as having 13% of an Earth-mass, struck the proto-Earth at a 45 degree angle near the mutual escape velocity of both worlds. The “red” particles, comprising 0.3% of an Earth-mass, were found to escape the Earth-Moon system. Some of this debris may eventually go on to strike other solar system bodies like large main belt asteroids. “Yellow–green” particles go into the disk that makes the Moon. “Blue” particles were accreted by the proto-Earth. The first frame shows the mapping onto the pre-impact states of the Moon-forming impactor and proto-Earth.

Credit: 
Image Courtesy of Southwest Research Institute