an image of a hole in the surface of a planet

Diamonds at Mercury's Core-Mantle BoundaryA recent study in Nature Communications by scientists from China and Belgium proposes that Mercury's core-mantle boundary (CMB) includes a diamond layer up to 18 kilometers thick. This hypothesis arises from the planet's carbon-rich composition and data from NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, which revealed significant surface graphite. Researchers, including Dr. Yanhao Lin, used high-pressure experiments and thermodynamic modeling to recreate Mercury's interior conditions, finding that during core crystallization, diamond formed at the CMB due to high carbon and sulfur content. This diamond layer, possibly formed from an ancient magma ocean, influences Mercury's thermal and magnetic properties. Such findings have implications for understanding carbon-rich exoplanetary systems and the formation of terrestrial planets.