New research indicates that a layer of snow-iron formed and accumulated in the Earth’s inner core.
According to research published in the journal JGR Solid Earth on December 23, this layer of snow is made up of tiny iron particles. They fall from the Earth’s molten outer core and pile up on top of the inner core.
Researchers believe that the inner core of the Earth is covered with iron snow. (Photo: Fox News).
We know a lot about the Earth’s crust, but the inner core remains a mystery, said Jung-Fu Lin, a professor at the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas, and author of the study. .
“It’s something to think about. Crystals in the outer core fall to the inner core at a distance of several hundred kilometers,” said study co-author Nick Dygert.
The study compares the “snow” iron layer with a magma chamber, a large lake of liquid rock beneath the Earth’s surface. In the magma chambers, minerals will compress, creating what the researchers call “accumulative rocks”.
This new discovery could help geologists better understand how planets like Earth form.
“The study allows us to draw conclusions about the possible compositions of the liquid core and can connect this information to the conditions prevailing at the time the planet was formed. The starting condition is a key factor in making Earth the planet we know it,” said Bruce Buffet, a professor of geosciences at the University of California.