Contents
During the Lunar cataclysm, craters formed on many planets and their satellites. And Mercury may have been covered in diamonds. How did they find diamonds on the surface of the planet closest to the Sun?
You can read the original article by journalist Ramin Skibba on the Wired website.
In a new study, Colorado School of Mines geologist Kevin Cannon suggested that about 4 million years ago, asteroids that crashed into Mercury hit the graphite that covered most of the planet, shattering it into diamond fragments. The scientist says that the reason for this was a pressure wave from space rocks crashing into the surface of the planet, which moved at a speed of tens of kilometers per second.
Mercury is a unique planet
Mercury is a miniature planet. It is smaller than Titan (a moon of Saturn), which scientists call one of the best places to look for extraterrestrial life, and Ganymede (a moon of Jupiter), the only moon with a magnetic field. A year on Mercury lasts very little – only 88 days, but a day, by the standards of our planet, takes a little more than 58 days: it turns out that a year consists of only one and a half days on the planet.
In terms of its daily temperature, which reaches 426 ° C, Mercury is second only to Venus. And due to the lack of atmosphere at night there can be frosts down to minus 178°C. But far from these indicators distinguish Mercury from other planets. It is of interest to geologists because of the carbon reserves found there in the form of graphite, which, due to asteroid impacts, turned into diamonds about 4 million years ago, covering the surface of the hottest planet.
This happened during the Late Heavy Bombardment (or Lunar Cataclysm), which, according to researchers, formed many craters on the planets and their satellites, including on the Moon. Mercury may have taken many more hits than Earth’s only natural satellite, and its surface is completely cratered.
Surface studded with diamonds
Prior to the Lunar cataclysm, Mercury was covered in oceans of magma, which later cooled and solidified. Based on data from Kevin Cannon’s as-yet-incomplete study, graphite floated on top of the solidified layer. It was about 100 m thick, and the pressure of the asteroids on impact was enough to turn 30% to 60% of this layer into what are called “Mach diamonds”.
Most likely, this was the reason why the surface of Mercury is covered with many gems. But Cannon believes that the diamonds are not evenly spaced. They can be very small, scattered, or buried all over the planet. Data from other studies confirm the conclusion of the geologist.
Some planetary scientists, in support of Cannon’s theory, say they saw dark spots of graphite in images of Mercury taken by cameras aboard NASA’s Messenger spacecraft.
Mercury was rich in carbon from the beginning, experts say. During the formation of the planet, different elements combined with each other mainly in the form of metals and rocks. The former sank and formed the core of the planet, while the latter solidified from above. The difference between Mercury and other planets appeared when most of the carbon did not turn into metal cores and mantles above them, but turned out to be embedded in the planet’s crust. If on Earth diamonds are formed from carbon deep below, then on Mercury the opposite is true.
But do not think that Mercury diamonds can be used in jewelry. Diamonds there are hardly distinguished by their purity: most likely, they represent a disorderly mixture of elements.
Finding evidence – the next mission to Mercury
Research on Mercury continues. Perhaps soon scientists will be able to shed light on the past of the planet. In 2025, the joint mission of the European and Japanese space agencies BepiColombo to Mercury plans to send several high-resolution cameras that will allow scientists to find signs of diamonds.
Further study of asteroids that crashed into young Mercury may provide an answer to the question of why, despite its small size, the planet has an abnormally large core. Some scientists believe that Mercury used to be much larger, but a giant impact scattered parts of it throughout the solar system.
Kevin Cannon suggests that more distant planets may also contain diamonds: not only on the surface, but also formed under pressure deep inside.