Phys.org  September 27, 2022 An international team of researchers (USA – Gemological Institute of America, Purdue University, University of Wisconsin, Italy, Germany) analyzed a rare diamond, from Botswana, formed 660 meters below the Earth’s surface confirming that ocean water accompanies subducting slabs and thus enters the transition zone (TZ). This means that our planet’s water cycle includes the Earth’s interior. The immense pressure in the TZ causes the olive-green mineral olivine, which constitutes about 70% of the Earth’s upper mantle. The mineral transformations greatly hinder the movements of rock in the mantle. Subducting plates often have difficulty in breaking through […]