"Using a large-volume press, they exposed Mercury-like materials to extreme pressures and temperatures to see how carbon would behave. These experiments confirmed that sulfur, an abundant element on Mercury, could lower the temperature at which the magma ocean begins to crystallize, nudging the conditions into the diamond stability field.
The crystallization of Mercury’s metal core, is central to the theory. As Mercury cooled over years, its core began to solidify.
The remaining liquid outer core, now enriched with carbon, could have led to the formation of diamonds, which would then floatupwards towards the core-mantle boundary.
A diamond layer at the core-mantle boundary might influence how heat escapes from Mercury’s outer core. Unlike the insulating properties of an iron sulfide (FeS) layer, a diamond layer could allow heat transfer in ways that affect the planet’s magnetic field generation.
Mercury’s chemistry sets it apart from Earth and its neighboring planets, Venus and Mars."
A diamond layer at the core-mantle boundary might influence how heat escapes from Mercury’s outer core. Unlike the insulating properties of an iron sulfide (FeS) layer, a diamond layer could allow heat transfer in ways that affect the planet’s magnetic field generation.
Mercury’s chemistry sets it apart from Earth and its neighboring planets, Venus and Mars."
msn

