This groundbreaking finding provides a better understanding of Earth’s core and opens up new avenues for research and hypotheses.
In a report published in the journal Nature on February 9, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences revealed that the deepest part of Earth is comprised of solid iron and light elements in a superionic state.
Superionic state is a special intermediate state of matter that possesses characteristics of both solids and liquids. For example, in superionic water, the oxygen atoms form a crystalline network similar to a solid state, while the hydrogen ions move around like in a liquid state.
The depths beneath the Earth’s surface still hold many mysteries yet to be fully explored by humankind.
The core of Earth is formed by the solidification of molten iron at the edge of the core. This core region is less dense than pure iron, leading scientists to believe that it contains some light elements. These light elements could potentially include hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen.
According to the China Daily, researchers studied alloys of iron with light elements such as hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions, similar to those found in Earth’s core. They discovered that under these conditions, the light elements transitioned into a superionic state, as evidenced by their high diffusion rates resembling those of liquids.
“This indicates that the innermost core of Earth may exist in a superionic state rather than the typical solid state,” said He Yu, a scientist from the research group. He further suggested that these findings could provide new insights into the internal structure of Earth, seismic activity, the planet’s magnetic field, and other related issues.
Earth still harbors many mysteries, including the origin of its magnetic field. “We have traveled into space, dived into the deepest parts of the oceans, but the farthest we have ventured into the depths of the Earth is a 12 km deep borehole in Russia. Therefore, the Earth’s interior remains an unexplored frontier with significant implications for research, economy, and strategy,” He stated.