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

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

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday December 20, 2011 @11:38PM 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."

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Why don't they just ... by umberjon · 2011-12-20 23:57 · Score: 5, Funny

dig a hole?
1. Re:Why don't they just ... by Penguinshit · 2011-12-21 00:03 · Score: 2
  
  ...and create a new volcano.
  
  --
  I have something in common with Stephen Hawking...
2. Re:Why don't they just ... by Ironhandx · 2011-12-21 00:04 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Because they are theorizing about layers of the core from which we can't even get a core sample, let alone a good look at. Deepest hole ever drilled is something like 12km and the depth at which this shit is is more in the 1000-2000km range than the 12km range.
  It should be noted that the reason that they had to stop @ 12km was that we havent been able to engineer any drill bits that can withstand the heat much below that. 15km is the theorized maximum drill depth with current technology but no one has even gotten close to that. Last attempt was still over 2km off.
3. Re:Why don't they just ... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-21 00:08 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  But they've gotten to the center... I saw it in that film.
4. Re:Why don't they just ... by jamesh · 2011-12-21 00:14 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I'm guessing it would be easier to simulate the pressure and temperature of this part of the core than to actually go there...
5. Re:Why don't they just ... by umberjon · 2011-12-21 00:16 · Score: 2
  
  dig a hole?
  Damn, I knew I should have put a smiley at the end.
6. Re:Why don't they just ... by SJHillman · 2011-12-21 00:18 · 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...
7. Re:Why don't they just ... by rossdee · 2011-12-21 00:50 · 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.
8. Re:Why don't they just ... by gl4ss · 2011-12-21 01:10 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  scrooge got to the middle. and saved the earth..
  
  --
  world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
9. Re:Why don't they just ... by Rick17JJ · 2011-12-21 05:45 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  I also read about it in Tarzan at the Earths core by Edgar Rice Burroughs. That book describes how the Earth is hollow, with openings to the inhabitable inner world at the north and south poles.
  In that book, Jason Gridley decided to build a rigid airship, using helium, with sufficient range to fly through the polar opening to the inner world and back. But, he was unsure how to build a hull that was sufficiently strong and light that could survive the conditions along the way. Not sure how to solve that problem, he traveled to the jungles of Africa to ask Tarzan for his advice. Fortunately, Tarzan had recently heard about a nearby lake-dwelling tribe that was using canoes made of a metal that was as strong as steel and as light as cork.
  The book said that inner world had accidentally been discovered previously by David Innes and Abner Perry who had been planning to look for anthracite coal with their newly invented mechanical prospector. But, on their trial voyage, their steering mechanism jammed and they accidentally drilled 500 miles down into the Earth's core, reaching the hollow inner world. Perry remained behind, while Innes made the difficult trip back to the surface. The book does not mention them having any problems with the drilling mechanism becoming too hot.
  Jason and Tarzan went on to build their 997 foot long airship from harbenite. Jason knew that Tarzan's skills would prove useful one the reached the Earth's core.
10. Re:Why don't they just ... by Ironhandx · 2011-12-21 10:16 · Score: 2
  
  Its 370 Degrees at that depth.
  Its not purely geothermal, but a lot of it has to do with pressure as well, however the ambient starting temp is 370 degrees, so as soon as there is any sort of friction and drilling action, yes, water will flash to steam. The coolants they use past even 8km are far more suited than water.
The earth... by jimmydigital · 2011-12-21 00:12 · 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
1. Re:The earth... by Gilmoure · 2011-12-21 04:42 · Score: 2
  
  nü-mëtäl
  FTFY
  
  --
  I drank what? -- Socrates
would make sense though, no? by hesaigo999ca · 2011-12-21 01:15 · 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 · 2011-12-21 03:00 · 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"?)
2. Re:would make sense though, no? by AshtangiMan · 2011-12-21 03:28 · Score: 2
  
  My kingdom for a mod point you funny funny coward.
Deepest hole ever drilled by mistigri · 2011-12-21 01:31 · Score: 5, Informative

The Kola Superdeep Borehole is the deepest, reaching 12,262 metres (40,230 ft).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_Superdeep_Borehole
Re:How to experimentally verify? by sensei+moreh · 2011-12-21 01:40 · Score: 4, Interesting

Back when I was in grad school, high-end diamond anvil cells were typically achieving pressures on the order of 1 Mbar; so 140 GPa certainly sounds reasonable. Laser heating should enable one to get to 2200 deg C and beyond quite easily. I only got to play with our cell at room temperature.

--
Geology - it's not rocket science; it's rock science
Errm , its not actually a metal by Viol8 · 2011-12-21 01:43 · Score: 2

Its just a metal compound that conducts under these conditions. As they say, it doesn't even change its structure.
1. Re:Errm , its not actually a metal by Baloroth · 2011-12-21 02:55 · Score: 2
  
  The term "metal" refers as much to the physical properties of the substance as it does to structure or composition. It basically just means you have a cloud of free electrons (oversimplification). Although it depends on exactly how you define it, the term can apply to compounds or substances in certain states which are otherwise not metallic (such as hydrogen: not a metal in the conventional sense, but can theoretically become one). The fact it doesn't change structure but still exhibits metallic properties is part of why this is surprising.
  
  --
  "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
Re:How to experimentally verify? by fnj · 2011-12-21 01:53 · Score: 2

But diamond is a ridiculously excellent thermal conductor. Are you sure the diamond anvil won't suck the heat away? It also seems to me that the metal gasket in the diamond anvil would probably get pretty wasted at 2200 C. If you heat the whole diamond, what's going to happen to the supporting structure?
Ho hum... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-12-21 02:29 · Score: 2, Interesting

This is a *press release* folks. It describes in detail what was and was not found and what part of that is new. The answer is NOT MUCH NEW HERE. What's unfortunate is that when the press picks something like this up, they strip off the "boring stuff" and make it into the breakthrough it's not. Read the release: The metalizaiton of iron oxide at high pressure was known. What is new is the its crystal structure does not change. That's why it's in Phys Rev B and not Nature.
Re:Wholesale prices? by nedlohs · 2011-12-21 02:40 · Score: 2

Because they sparkle, something which most people consider pretty (hence the use of things that sparkle in lots of decorative items).
Re:Wholesale prices? by Toonol · 2011-12-21 11:37 · Score: 2

Nothing to do with sparkle. That can be done much more cheaply. It's to flaunt wealth. Fundamentally, the woman wants to show off how many resources her man can devote to her purely for pleasure. If diamonds were either cheap or had a practical purpose, they wouldn't be a display of frivolous wealth, and would no longer be desirable.