Water accounts for 70% of the Earth's surface area. Under the surface, to what extent is the water deep?

Where there is water, that place is more likely to exist. This is the guideline for scientists to search for life on Earth, as well as on the planet. Water accounts for more than 70% of the Earth's surface area. So what about under the surface? What depth can the water reach to the surface? In other words, potential life can exist at any depth below the Earth's surface?

Associate Professor Steve Jacobsen and colleagues from Northwestern University (USA) can provide you with answers, based on the latest research results published in Lithios magazine.

Near São Luíz River in Juina, Brazil, Associate Professor Jacobsen and his colleagues found a natural diamond released by a nearby volcano about 90 million years ago.

As we know, natural diamonds form in the mantle layer, at a depth of about 140-190 km, where the pressure is very high and the temperature is up to about 1200 degrees C (2200 degrees F). Then, thanks to geological activity, the diamond is pushed upward, eventually brought to the surface by volcanic lava. By analyzing the deep-formed materials that are then pushed to the surface through geological activity such as diamonds, scientists can indirectly learn a lot about " the underground world ."

Constructing the Earth's crust.Click on the image to enlarge.(Photos: Wikipedia)

Back on the main topic, this diamond has a mass of impurities, containing minerals trapped in the formation process. When researchers used infrared microscopes to look at the impurity, they saw clearly the existence of iodine hydroxide, which originated in water. They are everywhere, says Professor Jacobsen.

To calculate the depth where the diamond formed, which is also the depth of the origin of the other water, the team once again turned to the mass of impurities. It is made up of ferropericlase minerals (made from iron-magnesium oxide), and other complementary metals such as chromium, aluminum and titanium. These additional metals may be absorbed by ferropericlase at extreme temperatures and pressures, typically in the lower mantle layer.

They found that these additional metals were separated from ferropericlase when the diamond moved towards the surface and approached a more harsh environment (the temperature and pressure in general, the smaller the direction towards the surface ). But in order for these metals to exist inside the impurity block (which can be absorbed by ferropericlase), an environment with extremely high temperatures and pressures is needed, and the lower mantle layer is a potential candidate. . That is, this diamond must have formed in the harsh environment of the lower mantle."Based on the composition of impurities trapped inside, we estimate this depth to be about 1000 km," said Jacob Jacobsen.

(Photo: Internet)

The bottom line is that this block of impurities is trapped in the diamond during the process, ie from the very beginning of forming a diamond, because when the diamond comes to the surface, it becomes cold and hard. more (like sword forging), this block of impurity cannot escape. Therefore this block of impurities must originate from the very place where the diamond is formed, ie the lower mantle layer. And according to the above estimate of Associate Professor Jacobsen, the specific depth of the diamond is about 1000 km, ie a quarter of the distance from the surface to the Earth's core.

" This water reserve is much deeper than the previous discovery, at ⅓ of the distance from the surface to the Earth's core."

"This is the greatest depth of the water circulation recorded on the planet so far," said Professor Jacobsen. "The key message is that the water cycle on the Earth is bigger than we thought it would be, when we could reach the deep mantle."

However, it is not likely that this water reserve exists in the form of a vast underground ocean. Instead, water exists in the gaseous body, diffusing into the environment here.

Where does this water come from, this is another problem. Currently, scientists are unsure whether our planet has water, or water, brought here by objects such as asteroids or comets.