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New Kind of Metal Theorized To Be In the Earth's Lower Mantle

Posted by Soulskill on from the does-it-burn-as-well-as-dead-dinosaurs dept.

slew writes "This article talks about a study accepted to Physical Review Letters which theorizes that iron oxide goes through an insulator/metal phase change with high temperature and pressure. Originally it was thought to be a crystalline structure change, but now apparently it is theorized to be a new type of metallic state. This discovery might offer new insight on how the earth's magnetic field operates."

7 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. Why don't they just ... by umberjon · · Score: 5, Funny

    dig a hole?

    1. Re:Why don't they just ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      But they've gotten to the center... I saw it in that film.

    2. Re:Why don't they just ... by SJHillman · · Score: 2, Funny

      And I read it in the autobiography of that Jules Verne guy. He did a lot of cool stuff in all his autobiographies. Changed his name a lot too...

    3. Re:Why don't they just ... by rossdee · · Score: 3, Funny

      They never did get to the Centre. (Arne Saknussen claimed he did, but there is no proof)
      They got as far down as the Liddenbruch Sea, but when they tried going futher down, they found a big rock had fallen and blocked further descent.
      After deciding to blow it up and setting the charge, they put out to sea for safety. with the explosion the sea poured into the hole, their raft was sucked into it too. they went down a bit but then there was a volcanic eruption and they got blown up through Mt Etna
      So they went back to Germany, Axel married Grauben, and they lived happily ever after.

  2. The earth... by jimmydigital · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... is so metal!

    --
    Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. -HLM
  3. would make sense though, no? by hesaigo999ca · · Score: 2, Funny

    Gravity comes from a magnetic field, and that is produced because we have a big magnet like metal compound inside the earth, and I know that crystal is not able to become magnetized, so it all makes sense to me!

    1. Re:would make sense though, no? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      You know, Grabbity. The force that grabs and hangs on to things. Magnets have it and pull metal things to them, the Earth has a magnetic field and pulls you to itself, therefore the force of grabbity must come from that magnetic field. (But why do you keep misspelling grabbity? Don't you know there's no "V" in the word "grab"?)