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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."

11 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 Ironhandx · · 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.

    2. 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.

    3. Re:Why don't they just ... by jamesh · · 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...

    4. 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.

    5. Re:Why don't they just ... by gl4ss · · Score: 3, Interesting

      scrooge got to the middle. and saved the earth..

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    6. Re:Why don't they just ... by Rick17JJ · · 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.

  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. Deepest hole ever drilled by mistigri · · 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

  4. Re:How to experimentally verify? by sensei+moreh · · 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
  5. 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"?)