Diamonds lurk potentially buried deep within Mercury's crust
In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists reveal that the carbon found on Mercury's surface could have transformed into diamonds under the extreme conditions within the planet. This transformation is believed to have taken place due to the immense pressures and temperatures deep within Mercury.
Under the extreme pressures and temperatures inside Mercury, carbon existing beneath its surface can transform into diamond-like structures. These conditions are a result of the cooling, contracting iron-rich core of the planet, which generates immense pressure beneath the crust as Mercury shrinks over billions of years. This compression could facilitate carbon's phase transition into diamond layers below the surface.
The transformation process involves carbon atoms under Mercury's intense internal pressures and temperatures sliding, buckling, and re-bonding from graphite into a dense diamond phase. This process depends on sufficient pressure (approximately 20 gigapascals) to overcome the energy barrier between graphite and diamond and high temperatures (around 1400 °C) to enable atomic rearrangements before the pressure slowly releases, preserving the diamond structure.
This newly understood mechanism helps explain how carbon might exist as diamonds deep inside terrestrial bodies exposed to extreme geophysical conditions like Mercury. The discovery could shed light on our understanding of terrestrial planets and the evolution of planetary systems near the Sun.
Understanding the formation and occurrence of diamonds on Mercury could also provide insights into the evolution of rocky planets in general. The scientists plan to continue their studies on the hypothetical diamond layer on Mercury using more detailed models and future exploration missions.
The details of the study are published in the journal Nature Communications. Further research and modeling are needed to confirm the presence of a diamond layer on Mercury and to understand the specific conditions that led to its formation.
Another intriguing scenario under consideration is the expulsion of diamonds from Mercury's core during its crystallization, which could explain the presence of diamonds on a planet as small as Mercury. The electrical conductivity of diamonds could play a crucial role in maintaining Mercury's magnetic field, a key aspect for understanding the planet's interaction with the solar wind and the surrounding space environment.
The presence of diamonds on Mercury, if confirmed, would make it the first planet in our solar system known to have a diamond layer. This discovery could enrich our knowledge of the evolution of planetary systems near the Sun and contribute significantly to the field of planetary science.
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23694-0 [2] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24051-4 [3] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03476-5 [4] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24042-5 [5] https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11559
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