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A Diamond Carried Hydrated Iron From the Deep

A sealed inclusion contained goethite, hematite and magnetite, supporting a route for water into the lower mantle.

Published Updated Story ID: mp-2026-08-02-015
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Summary

A sealed inclusion contained goethite, hematite and magnetite, supporting a route for water into the lower mantle.

Brazilian synchrotron measurements mapped a sealed inclusion in a super-deep diamond and identified goethite alongside iron oxides. The assemblage supports models in which protected goethite carries water hundreds of kilometers down before transforming; one diamond cannot determine the global water flux.

Why it matters

A sealed inclusion contained goethite, hematite and magnetite, supporting a route for water into the lower mantle.

Limits and context

  • The assemblage supports models in which protected goethite carries water hundreds of kilometers down before transforming; one diamond cannot determine the global water flux.

Key claims

  1. A sealed inclusion contained goethite, hematite and magnetite, supporting a route for water into the lower mantle.

    Qualification: The assemblage supports models in which protected goethite carries water hundreds of kilometers down before transforming; one diamond cannot determine the global water flux.

    Evidence: source-2026-08-02-017

Sources

  1. Scientific Reports: iron oxyhydroxide as a mantle water carrierScientific Reports · secondary reporting

Corrections

No corrections have been recorded for this story.