Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the depths of the Earth’s mantle with the retrieval of a record-breaking 1268-meter drill core from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The drill core, collected during the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 399, has provided a detailed mineralogical glimpse into the oceanic mantle.
The findings challenge existing geological models and offer new insights into the composition of the Earth’s mantle, its deep geology, and the potential biogeochemical conditions involved in the origins of life. The drill core reveals significant mineralogical variations throughout, including levels of serpentinization, which could impact our understanding of terrestrial magmatism, crust formation, and element cycling.
The team led by Johan Lissenberg discovered that the pyroxene content was unexpectedly low compared to other abyssal peridotite samples worldwide. This could be due to high degrees of depletion and pyroxene dissolution during melt flow. Additionally, melt migration was found to be oblique to mantle upwelling, contrary to common models.
The drill core also revealed hydrothermal fluid-rock interaction throughout the 1268-meter section, with oxidative weathering down to 200 meters. Gabbroic intrusions were discovered to play an unexpected role in regulating fluid compositions from peridotite-hosted hydrothermal vents.
This discovery highlights the importance of deep-sea drilling in scientific discovery and underscores the potential for future drilling projects to reveal important pieces of understanding the biogeochemical effects of oceanic mantle.
Source: https://scitechdaily.com/1268-meters-down-record-breaking-mantle-core-reveals-earths-deep-geological-secrets/