Mercury may be home to an 11-mile thick underground layer of diamonds

Mercury, the smallest planet in the solar system, may harbor a significant amount of diamonds beneath its surface, according to new research. Scientists propose that the planet could contain an underground layer of diamonds that is approximately 11 miles thick.

Just a single cubic meter of diamonds could be worth as much as $70 billion. Given the estimated volume of diamond-rich material, Mercury could hold nearly 300 billion cubic meters, representing a massive fortune.

The formation of these diamonds is believed to have occurred around 4.5 billion years ago, shortly after Mercury itself coalesced from a cloud of dust and gas. At that time, the planet is thought to have been covered by a crust of graphite floating over a molten ocean of magma. Recent studies suggest that this graphite layer played a crucial role in the formation of diamonds on Mercury.

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To explore this hypothesis, scientists conducted experiments in which they subjected a variety of elements, including graphite, to the extreme conditions thought to exist on Mercury. Under pressures 70,000 times greater than those found on Earth and temperatures exceeding 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit, the graphite was observed to transform into diamond crystals.

Despite its proximity to Earth, Mercury remains the least explored of the terrestrial planets in the solar system. However, the possibility of a vast wealth of diamonds beneath its surface may drive increased scientific interest in the planet.