Shocked meteorites provide clues to Earth’s lower mantle
Deep below the Earth’s surface lies a thick rocky layer called the mantle, which makes up the majority of our planet’s volume. While Earth’s mantle is too deep for humans to observe directly, certain meteorites can provide clues to this unreachable layer.
In a study recently published in Science Advances, an international team of scientists — including Sang-Heon Dan Shim and Thomas Sharp of Arizona State University — has completed a complex analysis of a “shocked meteorite” (one that has experienced high-pressure and high-temperature conditions through impact events) and gained new insight into Earth’s lower mantle.