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.
[JACK AYLMER]
THE SMALLEST PLANET IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM IS REPORTEDLY HOME TO A MEGA FORTUNE OF DIAMONDS.
NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS MERCURY COULD HAVE AN 11 MILE THICK UNDERGROUND LAYER OF THESE PRECIOUS STONES.
JUST A SINGLE CUBIC METER OF DIAMONDS WOULD THEORETICALLY BE WORTH UPWARDS OF 70 BILLION DOLLARS.
MERCURY MAY HOLD CLOSE TO 300 BILLION CUBIC METERS.
SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE DIAMONDS FORMED SHORTLY AFTER MERCURY ITSELF COALESCED 4.5 BILLION YEARS AGO FROM A SWIRLING CLOUD OF DUST AND GAS.
DURING THAT TIME, THE NEW PLANET IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN MADE UP OF GRAPHITE CRUST FLOATING OVER AN OCEAN OF MAGMA.
ACCORDING TO RECENT STUDIES, THAT GRAPHITE PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THE DIAMOND’S FORMATION.
AN EXPERIMENT WAS CARRIED OUT SUBJECTING GRAPHITE AND OTHER ELEMENTS TO THE CONDITIONS FOUND ON MERCURY.
RECREATING THE PLANET’S EXTREME PRESSURE, 70,000 TIMES GREATER THAN THAT FOUND ON EARTH, AND HEAT OVER THIRTY-SIX-HUNDRED DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
SCIENTISTS NOTED THAT THE GRAPHITE HAD ACTUALLY TURNED INTO DIAMOND CRYSTALS.
COMPARED TO OTHER NEARBY PLANETS, NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT MERCURY-
THE LEAST EXPLORED TERRESTRIAL PLANET ORBITING OUR SUN.
BUT THIS POTENTIALLY VAST AMOUNT OF WEALTH THAT LIES BENEATH IT MAY SPUR FUTURE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS.
JACK AYLMER – STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.
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