Mercury’s Cratered Crust May Hold Glittering Gemstones
by Elizabeth Gamillo/Smithsonianmag.com
Mercury’s cratered surface may hold precious shards of diamonds. The glittering world may have formed from the billions of years of meteorite impacts that flash-baked Mercury’s crust, reports Nikk Ogasa for Science News.
The new research was presented by Kevin Cannon, a planetary scientist at the Colorado School of Mines, during the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference earlier this month.
Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system and the closest to the sun. Much like Earth’s moon, deep craters riddle Mercury’s surface. In its tumultuous early years, Mercury underwent a violent period called the Late Heavy Bombardment, where the terrestrial planet and the rest of the solar system faced an intense spike in asteroid strikes four billion years ago.
“The pressure wave from asteroids or comets striking the surface at tens of kilometers per second could transform that graphite into diamonds,” said Cannon to Wired’s Ramin Skibba. “You could have a significant amount of diamonds near the surface.”On Earth, diamonds form 100 miles or so deep below the surface of the upper mantle. Under intense pressure and high temperatures, carbon atoms bond together. The gemstones then rise to the surface during volcanic eruptions, Science News reports…
Read the Full Article at SmithsonianMag.com
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator.
She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues.
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