Issues with your account? Bug us in the Discord!

Huge Stockpile of Oxygen Found Deep Inside Earth

[url=http://www.livescience.com/environment/071001_mineral_sponge.html]Huge Stockpile of Oxygen Found Deep Inside Earth | LiveScience[/url]

[quote]A mineral that acts like a sponge beneath Earth's surface stores more oxygen than expected, keeping our planet from becoming dry and inhospitable like Mars.

The key to the abundant oxygen storage is the mineral majorite, which exists deep below Earth's surface in the mantle. Without the oxygen stockpile, Earth would probably be a barren planet hostile to life, authors of a study suggest in the Sept. 27 issue of the journal Nature.

The researchers examined majorite in the lab under conditions mimicking the Earth's deep interior and also near the planet's surface. The results showed that under deep-Earth conditions of high temperature and pressure, majorite stores large amounts of oxygen. When the temperature and pressure were decreased, as occurs near Earth's surface, the majorite decomposed and released the oxygen.

"The Earth's upper mantle can store, therefore, much more oxygen than previously expected," said lead author Arno Rohrbach, a doctoral student at the University of Bonn's Mineralogical Institute in Germany.

In nature, the deep stores of oxygen (in the form of majorite) ride convection currents up toward Earth's surface. Along the way, the pressure and temperature decrease, and at some point majorite breaks down.

"That's where the stored oxygen is released," said study team member Christian Ballhaus of Bonn's Mineralogical Institute. "Near the surface it is made available for all the oxidation reactions that are essential for life on Earth."

This process could also be responsible for some of Earth's water, Rohrbach said. Unlocked oxygen can bind with hydrogen that constantly seeps from Earth's interior to form water, making for a water-rich atmosphere. "Primordial hydrogen, trapped during the accretion/formation of planet Earth, is degassing constantly from the Earth's interior," Rohrbach told LiveScience.

Once the water is made, Earth's magnetic field helps to keep it in place. "The magnetic field prevents the atmosphere from being 'blown away' by solar winds," Rohrbach said. [/quote]

Whow. :eek:

Comments

  • Space GhostSpace Ghost Elite Ranger
    "As president of Planet Spaceball, I can assure both you and your viewers that there's absolutely no air shortage whatsoever. Yes, of course. I've heard the same rumor myself. Yes, thanks for calling and not reversing the charges. Bye-bye."

    "Shithead."

    :D
  • It is all Electro-Magnetic induction into the Earths core from the Sun. Those arent green house gases. We are just insects on the planets surface.
  • Dose that mean all the stories that there was vary little O2 until some microbes started making it is a lie? To say, with out plants there would be little O2.
  • Random ChaosRandom Chaos Actually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
    EM induction. Is that sort of like a death star superlaser? ;)
  • yeah something like that Random

    :)
  • CurZCurZ Resident Hippy
    So when do we invade?
  • MessiahMessiah Failed Experiment
    [QUOTE=Chaosed;165516]Dose that mean all the stories that there was vary little O2 until some microbes started making it is a lie? To say, with out plants there would be little O2.[/QUOTE]

    It means that the theories that life began below ground rather than at the ocean floor, got even greater footholds. :)

    Also, oxygen being locked within minerals is an old theory, this just means there are more of it.
  • Now we know what we need to save after this climate change issue has been dealt with.
  • MundaneMundane Elite Ranger
    Cool
  • croxiscroxis I am the walrus
    There are also massive stores of frozen methane at the bottom of the more deep sections of the ocean. If these were to melt you can kiss most life goodbye.
  • [quote]Dose that mean all the stories that there was vary little O2 until some microbes started making it is a lie? To say, with out plants there would be little O2.[/quote]
    I think the two explanations are not mutually exclusive.

    Oxygen might have existed, but not free O2 in the atmosphere - it reacts easily and becomes bound to other compounds.

    So it seems likely that atmospheric free oxygen still appeared when photo-autotrophic microbes (and later proper plants) started releasing it, partly as a poison to keep competitors off, partly because it's a byproduct of getting hydrogen from water and carbon from CO2 (paths of metabolism which the first living compounds and later on cells would have probably lacked at first).

    As for methane reserves, yes, they're impressive - and if they should by some misfortune enter circulation in great quantity, the prevalent species of hairless monkey... does not yet appear capable of doing anything meaningful to neutralize the effects.
  • JackNJackN <font color=#99FF99>Lightwave Alien</font>
    Well there is the perculating Methane bubbles in the Burmuda Triangle... ;)
  • John Marburger, seemingly turning his back on his boss stance makes a statement on global warming.

    [url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6994760.stm[/url]

    To stave off the people who just don't get it and get all huffy, it's about Bush Jr. and his science chief making a statement Bush should have a long time ago.
  • And though the precise quantity of human activity in observed warming trends may remain unknown...

    ...and even if it, surprisingly and contrarily to properties of CO2, didn't exist...

    1) I would still support allocation of money to fusion research, because a fusion reactor promises human kind more autonomy against quirks of nature.

    2) Would still be intending to install some solar cells as soon as I've moved, to supply some computing and radio equipment, and recharge bike batteries - because it promises me more autonomy against quirks of technology, market and nature.

    3) Would still shun the company car in favour of my electric bike for commuting, except from November to March (snow and ice), because some pedaling, even if one won't break a sweat due to a motor helping, provides welcome excercise, and I'm not keen on funding either the House of Saud or the Putin clique.
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    Curiosity strikes: I'm curious about your bike, Sleepy Shadow. Is it a brand name, or DIY?
  • It's somewhere in between. Looks like [url=http://xs320.xs.to/xs320/07415/bike.jpg]this[/url]. Definitely not DIY, I don't have that kind of manufacturing capability (I can only wish I had). My part consisted of:

    - obtaining the parts
    - tightening a few nuts and bolts
    - soldering 3 smaller battery packs into 1 suitable pack, in series with a fuse
    - soldering connectors
    - fitting the battery into a box with adequate cushioning
    - fitting stuff on the bike

    Primary components are:

    - motor and motor controller, obtained from [url]http://www.velectris.com[/url]
    - batteries, obtained from [url]http://www.commonsenserc.com[/url]
    - bike and lamps, obtained locally

    Some more details:

    - brushless AC motor, stator at centre, casing with magnets rotates
    - nominal operating voltage 37 V (10 LiPo cells), capacity 4 Ah
    - range ~30 km, speed ~30 km/h (more not recommended)
    - maximum power 400 W, typical power on flat terrain 150 W (I adjusted the speed limiter from 25 to 30, but didn't disable it)
    - works until 29 V (LiPos may not be discharged below 3 V per cell)
    - weight 19 kg (luggable with adequate techniques, but not very high)
    - charges in 2h
    - regenerative braking at up to 40% efficiency
    - road legality: probably illegal, so if you see a cop, pedal (if they ask, say it should be limited to 250W, and hope they can't measure amperes) :P not speeding or doing suicidal things helps too :)

    Notes of caution:

    - battery is a fire hazard, no unattended charging, requires manual balancing 2 x per year (I know the risks and preferred it so to reduce price, but folks who don't deal with electronics probably don't want it that way - unbalanced LiPo packs lead to some cells overcharging, and if it's a big overcharge, you need a smoke detector to notice it quick and a lot of powder to put it out)

    - front fork must be steel, aluminum forks are dangerous

    Cost:

    - only slightly less than a gas-powered moped
    - one recharge is about 0.02 euros
    - battery can't be expected to last over 1000 recharges
    - battery must be recycled, lithium is too useful to throw away
Sign In or Register to comment.