Silicon May Be Present In The Earth's Core According To Researchers

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Earth's core comprises of 2 parts - the inner core and the outer core. The inner core whose diameter is 1200 km, is made up mainly of two elements. Iron forms the majority of the core while the rest is nickel. But a team of researchers might just have discovered a new element present in the core. And the element mentioned is silicon.

Lead researcher Eiji Ohtani believes that the 5% (by weight) of the core might be silicon dissolved in the iron-nickel alloys. According to his paper presented at 2016 AGU Fall Meeting (San Francisco), samples were made of various proportions of the constituent metals of the core. The sound velocity of these samples was tested and then compared with the readings obtained from seismic waves.The sample with 5 % silicon, 85% iron and 10% nickel reportedly matches the velocity characteristics of the core.

According to an article on BBC news, Prof Ohtani clarified that more work was needed to truly confirm the presence of silicon in the core. The confirmation of silicon in the core will prove that the earth's early atmosphere was oxygen rich. And on the other hand, if silicon is confirmed to be absent in the core, it would mean that earth's early atmosphere was oxygen depleted. This is why the discovery is crucial. It is a possible doorway into understanding what was earth like before life formed.

The core is responsible for a lot of natural phenomena. It is the cause for earth's magnetic field, a major portion of the earth's gravitational pull and also the reason for convection in the atmosphere and oceans. Detailed research into the composition and mechanics of the core will shed light on many Earth's mysteries, like the analysis of a man's inner self explains his outer one.

As of now, silicon is suspected to be present in the inner core. More confirmed and detailed knowledge will be obtained upon further research. In time, the complete composition of the core will be known and that will solve a lot of scientific questions.