Analyzing earth's origin is of utmost importance to predict its future.
Even after centuries of research, scientists came know very little about our planet Earth. So many secrets are till now burried! Collecting those ancient samples might bring us closer to Earth's origin story. With that ambitious plan, a team of scientists recently excavated the deepest rock sample from the mantle of the earth. Let's understand what we came to know from this sample so far.
Scientists from Cardiff University used the ocean drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution and penetrated around 4,160 feet (1,268 meters) below the Atlantic seabed. The researchers were successful in capturing the “deepest point” ever in Earth's mantle rock.
Joides Resolution in Napoli pic.twitter.com/D33QctOaN2
— Leonardo Sagnotti (@leosagnotti) April 13, 2024
(Credit - @leosagnotti X handle)
"The recovery is record-breaking," said Johan Lissenberg, a geologist at Cardiff University and lead author of the study. "Previously, we have been largely limited to mantle samples dredged from the seafloor,” he added.
The cylindrical core was collected from the Atlantis Massif, which is an underwater mountain, situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This rock sample provides an overview of the earth's upper mantle's interaction with the seawater, which might have played important role in the beginning of life forms on Earth billions of years ago.
The researchers focused on extensive drilling operations into the mantle rock during April to June 2023.
The mantle comprises over 80% of Earth's volume. It is basically a layer of silicate rock located between the outer crust and the hot core. Generally, mantle rocks are inaccessible. But, the Atlantis Massif is an exception. It is one such peculiar location where earth's mantle rock is exposed to seabed.
With that, the Expedition 401 sampling party is complete! The science team took around 16,000 samples in Bremen, Germany, and actually ended up finishing early!
— JOIDES Resolution (@TheJR) July 7, 2024
A big thanks to everyone who contributed to make this week a success. #IODP #NSFFunded #EXP401 pic.twitter.com/TBdeNuU3yk
(Credit - @TheJR X handle)
The drill site is situated near the Lost City Hydrothermal Field. This is an area with hydrothermal vents continuously spewing super-heated water. Previously, it was believed to be a representative of the mantle rock beneath these vents.
The rock sample revealed how a mineral named olivine had previously reacted with seawater at different temperatures. Due to this interaction, hydrogen gas was released which led to the formation of compounds like methane capable of supporty microbial life. This is still a key hypothesis for the origin of life on this planet.
"Our recovery of mantle rocks enables us to study these reactions in great detail and across a range of temperatures," Lissenberg said.
"One suggestion for the origin of life on Earth is that it could have happened in an environment similar to Lost City," said Andrew McCaig, a geologist and study co-author from the University of Leeds.
(Credit - @TheJR X handle)
“The expedition’s achievements are a fantastic landmark”, says Rosalind Coggon, a marine geologist at the University of Southampton, UK. “Ocean drilling provides the only access to samples of Earth’s deep interior that are key to understanding our planet’s formation and evolution,” she added.
The analysis of the rock sample is still going on, promising some exciting geological and biological revelations.
From composition to chemical processes, this rock sample can act as a breakthrough for further research about Earth's origin.
