Mercury May Hide a Diamond Layer, Research Suggests

New research indicates that Mercury, the smallest planet in the solar system, could harbor a diamond layer up to 10 miles thick beneath its crust, Sky News reported yesterday.

Scientists from China and Belgium analyzed data from NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft, proposing that this layer formed during the crystallization of Mercury’s metal core, which was liquid during the planet’s formation 4.5 billion years ago.

Under extreme pressure, carbon in the mantle may have transformed into diamond, subsequently floating to create a layer between the core and mantle. To validate this theory, researchers simulated Mercury’s interior conditions using a large-volume press, demonstrating how minerals would behave under similar pressures and temperatures. These findings could reveal significant differences in the formation processes of Mercury compared to Earth and Mars.