In the Solar system there is a very precious planet And it’s precisely the thing that is often underestimated. We’re talking about MercurioIt is the smallest in the system after Pluto was downgraded to a dwarf planet in 2006, which according to some studies hides a dwarf planet. 16 km long diamond layer Under its surface. The discovery is due to a study conducted by the Belgian Universities of Liege and Leuven, which saw researchers from Belgium and China working with data from Space explorationsAnd the complex computer simulations and experiments that will go down in history.
The idea that they were also present on Mercury DiamondIt is also supposed to exist on Uranus and Neptune, as well as on Earth, so it is not actually new. In fact, information processed by space probes indicates a high percentage of Graphite On the surface of the planet. This metal is made up of pure carbon If it is exposed to high temperatures and pressures such as those that occur on Mercury, it causes this to happen. rough diamond.
A 16-kilometer-long layer of diamonds lies deep within Mercury.
Data Sonda Messenger NASA has allowed us to recalculate. pressure At the boundary between the mantle and the core, which would be high enough to allow the formation of a thick precious layer. The new conclusion was made possible by the discovery that the planet’s mantle is approximately 80 km more Expected. This information specifically gave a turning point to the recent study, since the presence of graphite in large quantities had already been proven.
In favor of the thesis there is an imposition The temperature range of From Mercury, which holds a real record in the solar system, passing by almost 400 degrees Celsius In the day hemisphere at -200°C in the night hemisphere and that’s just in Exterior. The effect of the sun, as the planet is closest to the star, andLack of atmosphere These conditions create conditions that help diamonds form.
Experience and researchers’ conclusion
To support their hypothesis, the researchers conducted a an experience Simulating the conditions for diamond formation on Mercury. Starting with a mixture of iron, silicon, carbon and iron sulfide—which mimics the composition of the region where diamonds would form—they applied similar pressures and temperatures, respectively, 70,000 times higher than Earth’s at sea level and 3.578 degrees Celsius.
The values, as we know, were obtained thanks to computer simulations through data gained from explorations and scientific knowledge and applied to the mixture created in the laboratory through computer models. In any case, the result confirmed Diamond formationIt crystallizes in the nucleus at the moment of solidification and rises due to its low density compared to the other components (mostly minerals).
How important are diamonds on Mercury?
Taking into account the age of the planet and the different stages it has gone through since its formation, about 4.5 billion years ago, the thickness of the diamond layer today is about 16 kilometers. It is about a Appreciation Which, as the researchers confirmed, has a margin of error of about ten kilometers.
The idea of such a precious deposit makes scientists’ eyes sparkle, and not for the same reasons that non-experts do. In fact, it must be said that there is no way to do this. underground diamond mine For Mercury, we don’t have the technology to perform these operations on another planet, let alone overcome the hellish temperatures they find themselves in, at around 485 km deep.
However, the continued presence of such a thick layer of diamonds could help explain the existence of a electromagnetic fieldWhich the planet should not have at all because it is inactive. The presence of the material could actually facilitate the exchange of heat between the mantle and the core, causing movements of the liquid iron, which, thanks to its conductivity, would generate a weak magnetic field.
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