SAMS Group Australia
advertisement
SAMS Group Australia
advertisement
SAMS Group Australia
advertisement
Goto your account
Search Stories by: 
and/or
 

News












A recent study by scientists from China and Belgium suggests that deep beneath the surface of Mercury, there may be a thick layer of diamond. | Source: Syfy
A recent study by scientists from China and Belgium suggests that deep beneath the surface of Mercury, there may be a thick layer of diamond. | Source: Syfy

Is Mercury’s core packed with diamonds?

A recent study by scientists from China and Belgium suggests that deep beneath the surface of Mercury, there may be a thick layer of diamond.

Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system, has bewildered scientists with its remarkably dark surface and high core density.

In 2009, NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft revealed graphite on Mercury's surface, leading researchers to speculate that the planet may have once had a carbon-rich magma ocean.

A new study published in Nature Communications proposes that the boundary between Mercury's core and mantle could feature a layer of diamond up to 18 kilometres thick.

Dr Yanhao Lin, a co-author of the study, said that the research challenges the assumption that graphite was the only stable carbon-bearing phase during Mercury's magma ocean crystallisation.

"Many years ago, I noticed that Mercury's extremely high carbon content might have significant implications,” he told PHYS.ORG.

“It made me realise that something special probably happened within its interior.”

To test the theory, the scientists recreated Mercury's extreme interior conditions using high-pressure and high-temperature experiments.

These experiments provided insights into how minerals in the interior melt and reach equilibrium, focusing on the phases of graphite and diamond.

He added: "[This research] also could be relevant to the understanding of other terrestrial planets, especially those with similar sizes and compositions.”

“The processes that led to the formation of a diamond layer on Mercury might also have occurred on other planets, potentially leaving similar signatures."

Researchers in 2022 suggested that Mercury's surface was also littered with diamonds.

 

WATCH VIDEO

 

More reading
Aussie inventors: IGI introduces new light performance grading reports
The Hope and Koh-i-noor: New insights into the world's most famous diamonds
Pink diamonds: Scientific discovery may lead to new deposits
Scientific breakthrough may revolutionise the hunt for diamonds
Diamond reveals new details of Earth’s interior
Did ancient sea creatures help create the Queen’s diamonds?
Strange diamonds found in meteorites

 











MGDL Distribution
advertisement





Read current issue

login to my account
Username: Password:
Rapid Casting
advertisement
SAMS Group Australia
advertisement
SAMS Group Australia
advertisement
© 2024 Befindan Media