The core of the Earth is characterized by extremely high pressure and temperature. And, for more than half a century, scientists have believed that our planet’s deepest cavities are composed of a liquid outer core and a solid inner core densely packed with iron alloy.
However, no one knows for sure what is hidden in the depths of the Earth.
Now, a new investigation, published in the magazine Nature, offers a rare insight into the planet’s internal structure, and it’s much stranger than previously thought.
Scientists baffled after discovering new substance deep in Earth’s core, which could be full of a strange substance that is neither solid nor liquid, but a new form of intermediate matter; a mixture of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon molecules pic.twitter.com/j7lh6vKQN8
– Don Félix (@donfelixSPM) February 23,
Is it solid, liquid or a new form of matter?
A team of scientists , led by Professor Yu He of the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGCAS), determined, with new high-pressure, high-temperature computer simulations based on quantum mechanical theory, that the inner core of our The planet is in a “superionic state”, which is technically neither solid nor liquid, but a strange intermediate state.
Specifically, the “superionic state” is a mixture of hydrogen molecules, oxygen and carbon that continuously swirl in an iron network.
“We found that hydrogen, oxygen and carbon in hexagonal iron com pacted transform into a superionic state under inner core conditions, showing high diffusion coefficients as a liquid,” the researchers wrote in their paper.
“This suggests that the inner core may be in a superionic state instead of a normal solid state”, they added.
There could be a second inner core. (Photo: Science Alert)
The Earth’s core remains a mystery
Even with these new findings, the inner core remains somewhat of a mystery. From seismic wave data, looking at low shear wave speed, we know the inner core is soft, meaning it can’t just be solid iron or an iron alloy, reports Science Alert.
Some scientists believe that there could be a second inner core, while others think that due to the lower density than would be expected of iron pure, there could be some light elements such as alloy.
“It’s quite abnormal,” He said in a statement. “Iron solidification at the inner core boundary does not change the mobility of these light elements, and light element convection is continuous in the inner core,” he added.
Solid iron and superionic elements in the terrestrial heart: A new study suggests that the inner core of the Earth is somewhere between solid and liquid. https://t.co/tepBa0lrUD pic.twitter.com/M9BTiNeL4J
– SaciandoLaCuriosidad (@Curiosisisimo) February 23,
“Our results fit well with seismological observations. It is the liquid-type elements that cause the inner core to soften,” said co-author Sun Shichuan of IGCAS.
According to experts, it is unlikely that this work will be the last word on the subject. Nonetheless, the research could shed light on one of the oldest mysteries in Earth science: the composition of our planet’s internal structure.
With information from DW.
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