Scientists have discovered a breach in the Earth's core, suggesting that it may be "leaking" iron.

The history of Earth spans over 4.5 billion years and is anything but static. If we delve into the planet's depths, we will discover a dynamic world where metals flow, water seeps, and the interior churns, as noted by IFLScience.

It is known that at the very center of the Earth lies a gigantic solid sphere of metal, surrounded by a swirling layer of liquid iron and nickel, which make up the two innermost stages of Earth's geological layers. Unfortunately, these molten metals do not always remain in place.

A previous study conducted in 2020 suggested that iron isotopes may migrate into the rocky mantle—the next geological layer of Earth that begins at a depth of about 2900 kilometers beneath the planet's surface.

The primary challenge in studying the planet's depths is that obtaining samples from the deep mantle is extremely difficult due to the incredible depth. Therefore, researchers reached their conclusions by conducting experiments and geodynamic modeling. The results indicate that liquid iron alloys react at extremely high temperatures of about 2000°C and under significant pressure, similar to the planet's interior.

The findings showed how iron isotopes migrate based on temperature gradients, with heavier isotopes moving into cooler regions. The authors of the study believe that this effect likely causes metallic material from the core to penetrate into parts of the very bottom mantle.

According to the lead author of the study, Professor of Geology at the University of California, Davis, and Professor of Petrology of the Earth System at Aarhus University in Denmark, Charles Lesher, if the results are confirmed, it indicates that iron from the Earth's core has been seeping into the mantle for billions of years.

Moreover, this is far from the only remarkably dynamic part of Earth's interior. Scientists believe that other materials are directed from the surface to deeper layers, moving outward from the core. At the same time, some researchers think that water from the planet's surface is likely being displaced into the rocky mantle due to tectonic plate shifts.

For instance, a 2014 study showed that the transition zone of the mantle, at a depth of about 410-660 kilometers, contains a dense layer that is rich in ringwoodite. This bright blue mineral is known to contain water, but not in the form of liquid, gas, or solid, but rather in a molecular form within its crystalline structure.

Researchers found that ringwoodite indeed indicates the presence of a significant amount of water within the planet's interior. Scientists estimate that only 1% of the rock in the mantle's transition zone consists of water, which is nearly three times more than the amount of water in the World Ocean.