Earth’s new layer may have formed as a result of chemical reaction with water, study says

According to a new study published in the scientific journal Nature Geoscience, The Earth’s core is undergoing changes It may have formed a new layer at the center of the planet. A strong chemical reaction at the center of the planet may be responsible for the formation of the new layer, according to data collected by an international team of scientists from South Korea, the United States and Germany.

As scientists explain, surface water has the capacity to penetrate deep into the planet’s core; This is a reaction that could alter the outermost region of Earth’s metallic liquid core.

When water reaches the mantle core, it reacts with silicon and forms a thin layer of silica crystals; This could explain a mystery that some scientists have been observing for the past few years to understand Earth’s internal processes: The mantle lies approximately 2,900 kilometers below the planet’s surface.

This layer had already been identified in some previous studies, but researchers did not know how to explain the origin of this layer or what it consists of. Scientists in the new article say that the layer called Prime E is It developed over billions of years with surface water drawn into the core through the movement of tectonic plates..

“For years it was believed that the exchange of material between the Earth’s core and the mantle was small. But our recent high-pressure experiments reveal a different story. We discovered that water reacts when it reaches the boundary between the core and the mantle,” said a materials scientist from Arizona State University in the United States. Dan Shim said the silicon in the core forms silica.

The thinnest layer on earth

The thin layer was discovered several decades ago, but scientists have not yet discovered how it formed. Now, study suggests that chemical reaction between the core, mantle and water may have contributed to the formation of the hydrogen-rich layer; researchers conducted experiments that resulted in a similar reaction in a high-pressure environment.

According to researchers, if the information is correct, This discovery could help provide more answers about some of the mysteries surrounding Earth’s internal processes.

“This discovery, together with our previous observations of diamonds formed from the reaction of water with carbon in liquid iron under extreme pressure, points to a much more dynamic core-mantle interaction and suggests a significant material exchange,” adds Shin.

Did you like the content? So, stay up to date with more discoveries about Earth science at TecMundo and take the opportunity to learn about the rare gas formed during the Big Bang that may be leaking from the Earth’s core.