GabyThis scientific breakthrough allowed the team to uncover a number of secrets hidden within the depths of our planet.
Using the research vessel JOIDES Resolution, scientists drilled a well 1,268 meters deep in the volcanically active region of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It is located along the ocean floor. Atlantic Ocean The long piece of mantle rock extracted during drilling has given scientists a new perspective on the planet’s deep geology, and possibly on the origin of life as well. The initial results of the research were published by the scientists in the journal Science.
What the researchers reported
The mantle is the thickest layer. Lands between its crust and core. Although the mantle is usually located many kilometers below the crust, it is exposed in the area of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, providing scientists with a “tectonic window” to study the inaccessible layer.
“Our research began with studying the composition of the mantle and documenting the mineralogy of the extracted rocks, as well as their chemical composition,” said Professor Johan Lissenberg, the lead author of the study from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Cardiff University (UK).
According to the professor, the results obtained differed from what the team had expected. It turned out that the rocks contained significantly less pyroxene mineral and a very high concentration of magnesium. This indicates that there is much stronger melting in the mantle than the researchers initially assumed, the publication reported. IFLScience .
“We also discovered channels through which the melt was transported through the mantle, allowing us to track the movement of magma after its formation and its ascent to the Earth’s surface,” noted Professor Lissenberg.
Scientists explained that this information will help them understand better. volcanoes since the mantle melt correlates with volcanic activity on the Earth’s surface.
However, scientists find it most fascinating that studying the core sample could shed light on the origin of life on our planet. This sample provides early information about the interactions between water and olivine, a abundant mineral in mantle rocks. These interactions trigger a cascade of chemical reactions that generate hydrogen and other important molecules for sustaining life.
“The rocks that were present on early Earth are more similar to those we extracted during this expedition than the common rocks that currently make up our continents,” explained Dr. Susan Kueh Leng from the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA).
According to her, the analysis of the sample allowed the team to critically assess the chemical and physical environment that may have existed in the early stages of Earth’s history.
