A new study has said that the Earth’s core, which is made up of molten nickel and iron, is oxidizing. The study was published in the journal Advancing Earth and Space Science.
Oxidation occurs when iron is exposed to humid air or hydrogen peroxide, causing a chemical reaction that leaves a reddish residue and weakens the strong iron.
Because the nucleus is 2,900 km below the Earth’s surface, the high-pressure environment and the lack of water-containing minerals have been thought to have protected the outer core from rust.
But recent experiments have suggested that rust can form at high pressures and that it could plausibly form in places where the water-rich slabs of the earth’s crust have sunk to the core-mantle boundary.
In the experiment, scientists created high-pressure conditions that would exist in the Earth’s core. They then introduced moisture into the iron in the form of ore bearing hydroxyl.
At a pressure of nearly one million atmospheres, scientists discovered that the chemical reaction produced iron peroxide, with the same structure as pyrite. This indicates that rust formation could also occur in the Earth’s core.
“This oxide could illuminate the deep-water cycle in the lower mantle and the enigmatic origins of ultra-low-velocity zones (ULVZs): small, thin regions at the top of the Earth’s fluid core that significantly slow down “It could also help answer questions about the Great Oxidation Event (GOE), which marked the beginning of the Earth’s oxygen-rich atmosphere between 2.5 and 2.3 billion years ago,” he said. report from the journal Advancing Earth and Space Science.
But scientists have not yet identified the cause of the oxygenation event that could have caused the oxidation.
Read also | Mars had rivers, streams, and lakes, but why did the red planet dry up?
They will now have to prove their hypothesis after analyzing fresh lava plumes coming out of volcanoes.
Read also | Are these the lost cities of the Amazon? Monumental platform, uncovered pyramidal architecture hidden under trees
“If all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, the oxidation of the core could be, in fact, a massive internal oxygen generator on Earth, and the next big atmospheric oxygenation event could be on its way,” he said. say the report.
WATCH WION LIVE HERE
You can now write to wionews.com and join the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.