Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.
A colorful view of Mercury produced using images from the color base map imaging campaign during MESSENGER's primary mission what Mercury may look like were its outer layers stripped to expose its 10-mile-thick layer of diamond
"We calculate that, given the new estimate of the pressure at the mantle-core boundary, and knowing that Mercury is a carbon-rich planet, the carbon-bearing mineral that would form at the interface between mantle and core is diamond and not graphite," team member Olivier Namur, an associate professor at KU Leuven, told Space.com."Our study uses geophysical data collected by the NASA MESSENGER spacecraft." launched in Aug. 2004 and became the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury.
The team investigated this here on Earth by using a large-volume press to replicate the pressures and temperatures that exist within the interior of Mercury. They applied incredible amounts of pressure, over seven gigapascals, to a synthetic silicate acting as a proxy for the material found in theThis allowed them to study how minerals like those that would have been found in Mercury's mantle in its early existence changed under these conditions.
"The liquid core before crystallization contained some carbon; crystallization, therefore, leads to carbon enrichment in the residual melt," he continued."At some point, a solubility threshold is reached, meaning the liquid cannot dissolve more carbon, and diamond forms." The researcher hopes that this discovery could help reveal clues to some of the other mysteries surrounding the solar system's smallest planet, including why its"A major question that I have about Mercury's evolution is why the major phase of volcanism lasted only a few hundred million years, much shorter than other rocky planets. This must mean that the planet cooled down very fast," Namur said.
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