Did Earth Eat Its Leftovers? Impact Ejecta as a Component of the Late Veneer

Abstract The presence of highly siderophile elements in Earth’s mantle indicates that a small percentage mass was delivered after the last giant impact stage “late accretion.” There is ongoing debate about nature late-accreted material and sizes bodies. Earth appears isotopically most similar to enstatite chondrites achondrites. It has been suggested late accretion must have dominated by enstatite-like bodies originated inner disk, rather than ordinary or carbonaceous chondrites. Here we examine provenances “leftover” planetesimals present disk stages simulations. Dynamically excited planet formation produces planets embryos with provenances, suggesting Moon-forming impactor may had stable isotope composition very proto-Earth. Commonly, some planetesimal-sized Earth-like are left at end main growth. chemically typically fragments protoplanets ejected millions years earlier. If these similar-provenance later accreted planet, they will represent naturally matches composition. exist during phase can large core fractions, These an important potential source for elements. range fractions leftover complicates simple inferences as origin based on mantle.