A study of diamonds has shed new light on the history of the supercontinent Gondwana, believed to have formed between 800 million and 550 million years ago.
Diamonds that formed deep below the Earth’s surface are revealing the secrets of an ancient supercontinent that existed hundreds of millions of years ago.
The latest findings, published in the journal Nature, demonstrate that super-deep diamonds can shed light on the growth and formation process of ancient supercontinents.
“These diamonds allow us to see how deep plate tectonic processes relate to the supercontinent cycle,” Steven Shirey, an author of the study who is with the Carnegie Institution for Science, said in a press release.
“By revealing the geological processes that contributed to Gondwana’s growth, scientists can better understand the forces that shaped Earth’s history and the phenomenon of continental stability, which is—of course—fundamental to the eventual success of life on our planet,” he said.
In the latest study, the researchers examined diamonds found in Brazil and West Africa’s Guinea that formed between 300 and 700 kilometers (186 and 435 miles) below Earth’s surface.
“The age of these inclusions provides a record of when buoyant mantle was added to Gondwana from below, thereby scaffolding, underpinning, and growing the supercontinent,” Shirey said.
The original article contains 509 words, the summary contains 180 words. Saved 65%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
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Diamonds that formed deep below the Earth’s surface are revealing the secrets of an ancient supercontinent that existed hundreds of millions of years ago.
The latest findings, published in the journal Nature, demonstrate that super-deep diamonds can shed light on the growth and formation process of ancient supercontinents.
“These diamonds allow us to see how deep plate tectonic processes relate to the supercontinent cycle,” Steven Shirey, an author of the study who is with the Carnegie Institution for Science, said in a press release.
“By revealing the geological processes that contributed to Gondwana’s growth, scientists can better understand the forces that shaped Earth’s history and the phenomenon of continental stability, which is—of course—fundamental to the eventual success of life on our planet,” he said.
In the latest study, the researchers examined diamonds found in Brazil and West Africa’s Guinea that formed between 300 and 700 kilometers (186 and 435 miles) below Earth’s surface.
“The age of these inclusions provides a record of when buoyant mantle was added to Gondwana from below, thereby scaffolding, underpinning, and growing the supercontinent,” Shirey said.
The original article contains 509 words, the summary contains 180 words. Saved 65%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!