It could help determine the rate at which the Earth's interior has been cooling, how the forces affecting the Earth's crust have changed over time, and the heating produced by radioactive decay. O'Neill said by looking at the water content and oxidation ratio of the komatiite samples they were able to discount the wet-melting theory. The water content of 0.3 percent per weight in the inclusion "was almost certainly the original water content," he said. Using the synchrotron X-ray technique the team could determine the oxidation ratio in situ in the sample. It found about 10 percent oxidation in the 2700-million-year-old sample, a ratio that is "similar to that of present-day mantle," the paper said. O'Neill said their approach will have a "flow-on effect for a whole suite" of things including minerals exploration. Related Links: |
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