Earth’s E Prime Layer

E Prime Layer

As per new study, a new enigmatic layer called “E prime layer” at the outermost part of Earth’s core is a result of surface water penetrating deep into the planet.

  • Reason for new layer formation – surface water penetrating deep into the planet”
  • This alters the composition of the metallic liquid core’s outermost region proposes.
  • It suggests that tectonic plates carrying surface water have transported it deep into the Earth over billions of years.
  • This subducted water reacts chemically with core materials under high pressure.
  • This led to the formation of a hydrogen-rich, silicon depleted layer at the outer core.
  • Silica crystals generated ascend and blend into the mantle.
  • These modifications in the liquid metallic layer could potentially result in reduced density and altered seismic characteristics.
  • Applications of the study:
    • Discovery enhances our comprehension of Earth’s internal mechanisms.
    • The transformed layer in the core holds significant implications for the interconnected geochemical processes linking surface water cycles with the deep metallic core.
  • Crust: This is the outside layer of the earth and is made of solid rock, mostly basalt and granite.
  • Mantle: It lies below the crust and is up to 2900 km thick. It consists of hot, dense, iron and magnesium-rich solid rock.
  • Core: It is the center of the earth and is made up of 2 parts: the liquid outer core and solid inner core. The outer core is made of nickel, iron and molten rock.
  • Seismic discontinuities are the regions in the earth where seismic waves behave a lot different compared to the surrounding regions due to a marked change in physical or chemical properties.
  • Sudden jumps in seismic velocities across a boundary are known as seismic discontinuities.
Type of DiscontinuityLayers in between
Conrad DiscontinuityUpper Crust and Lower Crust
Mohorovicic (Moho) DiscontinuityLower Crust and Upper Mantle
Repetti DiscontinuityUpper Mantle and Lower Mantle
Guttenberg DiscontinuityLower Mantle and the Outer Core
Lehmann DiscontinuityOuter Core and Inner Core

Source: Hindustan Times


Previous Year Question

In the structure of planet Earth, below the mantle, the core is mainly made up of which one of the following?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2009 Prelims]

(a) Aluminium
(b) Chromium
(c) Iron
(d) Silicon

Answer: (c)


Practice Question

The boundary between the crust and the mantle is technically called as:

 
 
 
 

Question 1 of 1

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