Unraveling the mysteries of the Earth’s inner workings, scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery – water is seeping down into the planet’s core from the surface, reshaping its structure over billions of years.
This incredible journey sees the water trickling down through descending tectonic plates before finally reaching the core after a 2,900-kilometer trek.
As the water reaches the core-mantle boundary, it triggers a chemical reaction, forming a “thin” new layer between the outer core’s molten metal and the Earth’s outer mantle. This discovery, made by scientists at Arizona State University, sheds new light on the dynamic interaction between the Earth’s core and mantle.
Dr. Dan Shim, co-author of the study, elaborated on their findings, stating, “For years, it has been believed that material exchange between Earth’s core and mantle is small. Yet, our recent high-pressure experiments reveal a different story.”
Furthermore, the implications of this discovery go beyond the inner workings of the Earth. It suggests a more extensive global water cycle than previously recognized, with profound implications for the geochemical cycles connecting the surface-water cycle with the deep metallic core.
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