Incredible Discovery! Scientists Thought It's Impossible to Find Something Like This on Earth
The research conducted by scientists at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas led to a sensational discovery that comes from deep inside the Earth.
In a mine in Botswana, they found a unique diamond, which contained a never-before-seen mineral. Scientists thought it's impossible to find something like this on the surface of our planet
Named davemaoite after the geophysicist Ho-kwang (Dave) Mao, is the first example of a high-pressure calcium silicate perovskite (CaSiO3) found on Earth, according to Live Science.
The International Mineralogical Association has now confirmed davemaoite as a new mineral.
Amazing Discovery Inside The Diamond
This new type of mineral inside the diamond has a crystalline structure that is formed only under conditions of high pressures and high temperatures, in the Earth's mantle, the solid layer that lies between the outer core and the crust.
Davemoite has long been expected to be an abundant and geochemically important mineral in the Earth's mantle. But scientists have never found evidence of its existence so far because it decomposes into other minerals as it moves toward the earth's surface and the pressure drops.
But now, analysis of the diamond from Botswana, which formed in the mantle around 410 miles (660 kilometers) below the Earth's surface, revealed an intact sample of davemaoite trapped inside.
Scientists Were Surprised
"The discovery of davemaoite came as a surprise," said Oliver Tschauner, a mineralogist at the University of Nevada and lead author of the study.
Experts uncovered the davemaoite sample with a technique known as synchrotron X-ray diffraction, which focuses a high-energy beam of X-rays on certain spots within the diamond with microscopic precision. By measuring the angle and intensity of the returning light, researchers can decipher what's inside.
The sample of davemaoite within the Botswana diamond was only a few micrometers (millionths of a meter) in size.
The davemaoite is believed to play an important geochemical role in the Earth's mantle, as it can help generate a substantial amount of heat in the area where it is located.
In a mine in Botswana, they found a unique diamond, which contained a never-before-seen mineral. Scientists thought it's impossible to find something like this on the surface of our planet
Named davemaoite after the geophysicist Ho-kwang (Dave) Mao, is the first example of a high-pressure calcium silicate perovskite (CaSiO3) found on Earth, according to Live Science.
The International Mineralogical Association has now confirmed davemaoite as a new mineral.
Amazing Discovery Inside The Diamond
This new type of mineral inside the diamond has a crystalline structure that is formed only under conditions of high pressures and high temperatures, in the Earth's mantle, the solid layer that lies between the outer core and the crust.
Davemoite has long been expected to be an abundant and geochemically important mineral in the Earth's mantle. But scientists have never found evidence of its existence so far because it decomposes into other minerals as it moves toward the earth's surface and the pressure drops.
But now, analysis of the diamond from Botswana, which formed in the mantle around 410 miles (660 kilometers) below the Earth's surface, revealed an intact sample of davemaoite trapped inside.
Scientists Were Surprised
"The discovery of davemaoite came as a surprise," said Oliver Tschauner, a mineralogist at the University of Nevada and lead author of the study.
Experts uncovered the davemaoite sample with a technique known as synchrotron X-ray diffraction, which focuses a high-energy beam of X-rays on certain spots within the diamond with microscopic precision. By measuring the angle and intensity of the returning light, researchers can decipher what's inside.
The sample of davemaoite within the Botswana diamond was only a few micrometers (millionths of a meter) in size.
The davemaoite is believed to play an important geochemical role in the Earth's mantle, as it can help generate a substantial amount of heat in the area where it is located.
