A groundbreaking study published in Nature Communications suggests a diamond layer up to 18 kilometers thick at Mercury’s core-mantle boundary, shedding new light on the planet’s mysterious interior. Dr. Yanhao Lin and his team utilized high-pressure experiments and thermodynamic modeling to simulate Mercury’s extreme conditions, revealing the potential presence of diamonds deep within the planet.
Mercury’s unusual dark surface, rich in graphite, hints at a carbon-rich history, possibly originating from a molten carbon-saturated magma ocean. While previous theories focused on a graphite crust forming, the researchers propose that diamonds could have also formed during the planet’s early history. By recreating Mercury’s interior conditions in the lab, they observed the formation of a diamond layer at the core-mantle boundary.
The presence of sulfur in Mercury’s core plays a crucial role in the formation of diamonds, affecting the planet’s magnetic field generation. As diamonds float to the core-mantle boundary, they aid in heat transfer from the core to the mantle, influencing temperature gradients and convection in the liquid outer core. This discovery not only provides insights into Mercury’s unique characteristics but also has implications for understanding other terrestrial planets with similar compositions.
Dr. Lin emphasized the significance of carbon-rich exoplanetary systems and how the processes leading to the formation of a diamond layer on Mercury could be mirrored in other planets, potentially leaving similar signatures. The study opens up new avenues for planetary research and challenges previous assumptions about the composition and evolution of Mercury’s interior.
