Unveiling Earth’s Secrets: Water Slowly Making its Way to the Core
There is still so much left to uncover about the inner workings of our planet – and one recent discovery by scientists has added to the mystery. It turns out that water is seeping down from the Earth’s surface and making its way towards the core in a slow and intricate journey.
This journey is far from simple. The liquid is making its way down descending tectonic plates, embarking on a 2,900-kilometer voyage before finally reaching the core.
Despite its sluggish pace, over billions of years, this process has contributed to the formation of a new layer between the molten metal of the outer core and the outer mantle of the Earth.
In a groundbreaking study, researchers at Arizona State University have revealed that this water is setting off a chemical reaction, giving rise to a new layer that is “few hundred kilometres thick” (which is relatively thin when it comes to the inner layers of the Earth).
“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,” said co-author Dr. Dan Shim. “We found that when water reaches the core-mantle boundary, it reacts with silicon in the core, forming silica.”
This remarkable discovery, coupled with previous observations of diamonds forming from water reacting with carbon in iron liquid under extreme pressure, indicates a far more dynamic core-mantle interaction, suggesting substantial material exchange.
But what does this all mean for those of us on the surface?
The ASU release explained: “This finding advances our understanding of Earth’s internal processes, suggesting a more extensive global water cycle than previously recognized. The altered ‘film’ of the core has profound implications for the geochemical cycles that connect the surface-water cycle with the deep metallic core.”
How to join the indy100’s free WhatsApp channel
Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
